Two Worlds
by Bellefan123
Summary: Beacon Hills, home to the very rich, and there very poor. Beacon Hills High, where the very rich teens and the very poor teens collide. Theo falls into the poor category, but when he gets a job working for the Dunbar's he and the heir to the fortune, Liam, collide. (originally posted on Ao3 and Tumblr.)
1. Chapter 1

Theo held the newspaper in his hand, and read it over one more time, just to make sure. He had seen the ad looking for a yard worker, and Theo didn't mind yard or outdoor work, so he figured this job would be good for him. After all, it paid well, the Dunbar family had enough money to spare, thats for sure. Mrs. Dunbar was a world renowned fashion designer, who's clothes are featured in the top fashion shows around the world. Mr. Dunbar was a major movie director who seemed to win a new Oscar every year. Most of the time, having such a famous and affluent family would be out of the ordinary, but not in Beacon Hills. Beacon Hills was home to many rich families who came for the peace and serenity that small town life offered. Not everyone was rich though. For every rich family in Beacon Hills there seemed to be two poor families, they live in Beacon Hills to do the jobs that the wealthy citizens do not want to do.  
In fact, Theo would not be the first member of his family to get a job working for one of these wealthy families. Theo's mother had been working for the Romero family since the fire at the Hale's house. Therefore, Theo knew it was his destiny to one day enter the service of one of these families, and today was hopefully the day.  
As he got off the bus, he walked down the road to the address listed on the newspaper ad. He found the house he was looking for and stared at its enormity. House would be an understatement, it was more like a palace, and Theo knew he would have his work cut out for him. Nevertheless, he knew he belonged here, college wasn't an option, Theo's family could not afford it, and Theo sure as hell wasn't smart enough for an academic scholarship, so this was his lot in life. But its ok, he had leaned to accept it.  
He walked up to the door, that looked like it cost more than Theo's house, and took a deep breath before ringing the door bell. A woman in a blue work dress answered the door and smiled, Theo knew this was probably the maid. "Dunbar residence, may I help you?"  
Theo offered the maid a polite smile and nodded, "Yes please, I am here about the ad in the paper for a job." He told her respectfully. He knew how people tended to treat 'the help' and Theo wanted to make sure he was respectful with them.  
"Yes of course, come in, right this way," the maid said and stepped aside so Theo could enter the mansion, before gently closing the door. The inside was even more amazing than the outside. There was an ornate chandelier hanging over them, and right near the entrance to the house was the grand staircase. The maid led Theo up the staircase and down the hallway, entering a room littered with sketched of clothes, mannequins, and fabrics of all colors. "Mrs. Dunbar, someone is here about the job offer."  
"Of course, send him in," said a dark hair middle aged woman, who was standing behind a mannequin. Theo entered the room slowly and the maid made her way out of the room. "Just one moment," Mrs. Dunbar said before finishing up a sketch and then walking over to Theo. He could see her more clearly now, her dark hair pulled back into a bun, and she was wearing a tad to much makeup. "Sorry about that, the fashion shows of Milan wait for no one. So your here about the job? You sure you're up for it?" Her voice was elegant, yet cold.  
Theo nodded to her, "Yes ma'am." His mother told him best not to speak more than necessary, rich people love to hear themselves talk, not you.  
"What is your name boy?" She asked him as she looked him over. Theo could only guess she was trying to see if he'd be physically capable of the job.  
"My name is Theo Raeken ma'am," Theo responded simply.  
"Well, Theo, you seem like a respectable young mankind frankly the only applicant thus far, so if you want it the job is yours," She told him with a small smile, "I am assuming your hours would be after school?"  
"Yes ma'am, if that is alright," He nodded.  
"Of course, education comes first, do you go to beacon hills high?" She asked him curiously.  
He nodded respectfully.  
"Really? Do you know my son? His name is Liam Dunbar, he is a sophomore, and captain of the lacrosse team," She said said with a proud smile. This was the first genuine emotion Theo had seen this woman display.  
"I know of him, I am a junior so we are not in the same class, but everyone at school knows the lacrosse champion," he told her, a little flattering never hurt. However, it was a lie. Theo did know of Liam, but he was unhappy to know of him. Liam was a jerk, who got away with anything he wanted, Theo would never be his friend.  
She grinned, "Well perhaps your new job will help you two boys get to know eachother better," she replied, and Theo silently prayed that he wouldn't even see Liam here. "Now I am sure you know the job description already, mow the lawn, keep there porches and the windows clear, trim the bushes and tree if they become problematic, take care of the pool, so on, and any other random tasks myself or my husband require. Though, we both travel a lot, so I doubt you will receive many miscellaneous tasks. Can you start tomorrow after school?"  
Theo nodded and smiled kindly to his new boss, "Yes ma'am, that sounds great. Thank you for this opportunity."  
Once Theo had exited the house, he sighed in relief to have gotten the job, and to be starting so soon. Theo's family was not dangerously poor, but Theo wanted some spending money for himself, to splurge on stuff, take boys or girls out, and most importantly to buy his mother gifts she normally wouldn't be able to afford.  
While Theo was at the bus stop waiting, he texted his mom that he had gotten the job. He knew she'd see it when she got off work, which would be later, but it was better to let her know now before he forgets to later. Theo smiled as he watched the cars go by, perhaps this would be a new chapter in his life, after all having a job and money to spend could lead to some fun things.


	2. Chapter 2

Theo woke up the next morning to the buzzing of his alarm clock. He sighed a bit before getting up and turning his alarm clock off. Today was the day, after school Theo would start his new job at the Dunbar residence. He didn't know if he was excited, dreading it, or indifferent. It really depended on what it would be like once he got there.

Theo sat up, and stretched a bit before getting out of bed. He walked into the bathroom and began his morning routine. Shower, brushing his teeth, etc. Once he was dressed and ready to go he walked into the kitchen to grab a quick breakfast for the bus ride. As he was grabbing a granola bar he almost dropped the box when he heard his mom say, "Good morning Theo." He could tell by her voice that she was annoyed by something he did. She had that 'I am mad but we won't talk about it' tone, which was probably the worst punishment Theo could imagine.

"Good morning mom," He said, trying to be cheerful to lighten the tense mood, "I won't be home until later today."

She sat down at the table and began reading her newspaper. Without looking up she replied to him coldly, "Because of work? At the Dunbars?" Then Theo knew why she was in this mood. His mother did not want him to work for the Dunbars, or any of the families. She wanted more for him than that.

"Yes," he said simply as he rummaged through the fridge to find stuff to make his lunch with, "You should be happy, I can finally buy you a mother's day gift thats actually worth something."

His mom slammed the paper on the table making a semi loud noise that made Theo turn to look at her. "I do not want a mother's day gift Theo, I want you to better off than I am, and that means not working for those people. You don't need this job, just wait, when you graduate you can go to a trade school and get out of this damn town."

Theo sighed and sat down at the table across from his mother, "Mom, that is still possible. I haven't ruled anything out yet, but I want some extra money, and maybe with enough money save, I could actually afford community college."

Theo's mom nodded a bit, it was clear she still wasn't happy, but she had accepted it. "Fine, but if your grades start slipping, you're quitting. Now you better go, you'll miss the bus. I love you."

Theo nodded, and was glad that was over. The war wasn't over but he'd one this battle. He stood up and hugged his mom, "Love you too, ill see you later." He then grabbed his backpack and rushed out the door.

Later that day, at lunch, Theo sat down at his usual table alone. He wasn't popular, but most of the time people did not mess with him because he was quiet. Thats not to say he didn't have friends, but most of them had better friends. Theo sat there silently eating his lunch before Corey, his best friend, joined him at the table. "Geez, we need to get you a girlfriend or boyfriend, this whole moping in the corner thing is just pathetic."

"You're hilarious Corey, really," Theo said and laughed a bit. Corey was Theo's best friend. Corey was one of the rich kids at school, but he did not act like it, Theo and Corey had been friends since elementary school and have been like brothers ever since. "Who do you suggest anyway?"

Corey smiled as he thought for a moment, "Well you can't have mason, because I already have dibs on mason." Theo laughed a bit and nodded, Corey has had a crush on mason ever since Theo could remember. " What about a senior? Stiles maybe, or Malia? You could go to prom with one of them!"

Theo was bisexual, and most people at the school knew that, and they were accepting of it. "Isn't Stiles dating that one guy who graduated, like, forever ago? And, well, I give Malia a maybe." Theo teased. Corey was always trying to set him up, so might as well play along.

Corey smiled then he looked over to then entry of the cafeteria and smiled, "But none of those compare to your old middle school crush, Liam Dunbar." When Theo played lacrosse in middle school, he had gotten know Liam a bit, and had a small crush on him, but Corey was the only one who knew that.

"No, we will not bring up middle school again," Theo said and looked as Liam and his girlfriend Hayden walked in to the cafeteria and took their usual seat at their table. "Besides, that was before he was an asshole."

"I am just saying, you work at his house now, rumor has it he and Hayden are on thin ice, the pieces are just falling together," Corey laughed and shrugged a bit, "be open to it at least. You will be at his house everyday! And I mean, look at you, he will see you outside working and stuff, theres no way he won't fall for you."

"Corey, shut up," Theo teased and then finished his lunch, "There will be no Theo and Liam, I am sure he won't even pay attention that I'm there."

After school Theo made his way to the Dunbar Mansion by taking the city bus. He had changed into more working friendly clothes in the bathroom of the school just before leaving. When he arrived he went to the shed where all of the supplies and tools were, and there was instructions written by Mrs. Dunbar laying out exactly what needed to be done and when.

Theo was no stranger to yard work, so as soon as he read the instructions, he got what he needed and got to work. About two hours later, while he was in the front lawn, Theo saw a nice sports car pull into the driveway and he saw Liam get out, probably coming home from lacrosse practice. Theo kept his head down, and just kept working, like he was supposed to do. Do not speak, unless spoken to. He was surprised when he heard Liam's voice, "You working here now?" Liam asked curiously.

Theo looked up and nodded, "Uh, yeah I am, just the yard work and stuff." Theo was unsure how to address this since Liam's parents were his boss, meaning Liam was kind of his boss to.

"Oh, wow." Liam said simply. Theo could tell a sort of pity in Liam's voice, which he despised. Theo did not want pity, but still it was odd to hear such an emotion come from Liam. "You're best friends with Corey right?"

Theo was caught off guard by the random switch in subject, but he nodded because he liked talking about Corey more than Liam pitying him. "Yes, we've been best friends since elementary school."

Liam nodded, "I thought so, I know more about Corey than I'd like, considering Mason is like, obsessed with him." Liam then laughed a little bit.

"Well tell Mason to make a move because Corey is obsessed with him to," Theo responded and smiled a bit at Liam to. However, Theo was mostly confused on Liam's attitude. He was much different than Theo had ever seen him, almost shy and timid, but why?

Liam smiled and nodded, "Well I better head in." Theo nodded to Liam, and then Liam began to walk to the door. Before Liam reached the door, it burst open, with Mrs. Dunbar rushing out, while talking on her cell phone, in some language Theo didn't understand. Italian maybe?

When she and Liam crossed paths on the side walk, she covered her phone, "Honey, theres an emergency and I am needed in Milan for a bit, I will be home as soon as I can." She kissed his forehead then rushed off to get into her car and drive away.

Thats when Theo understood. He now understood why Liam was different at home. It was because Liam was alone most of the time. Liam was still an asshole, but Theo couldn't help but feel sorry for him.


	3. Chapter 3

As Theo watched Mrs. Dunbar drive away in her nice sports car, he could not help but turn back to Liam, who was staring longingly at his mother as she drove off. Theo had remembered that Mrs. Dunbar had told him she and her husband would travel a lot, but he did not realize that meant leaving their son home alone for days on end. Theo may not have had a big house or nice car, but he had a mom who loved him and was always there for him. For the first time ever, Theo actually felt bad for Liam.

After finishing his work, Theo noticed that Liam was sitting out by the pool. Theo placed all the equipment back in the shed and walked over to the pool area. Liam must have heard him, because he turned to Theo and asked, "Can I help you?"

"Well actually," Theo paused for a moment, trying to figure out how he wanted to say it. "Your mom told me that part of my job would be to complete any miscellaneous tasks at their request. You are technically my boss, so that extends to you too. If you need anything, just ask." Theo was trying to extend a hand of friendship, knowing it must be heard on Liam being home alone all the time.

"I know," Liam snapped back bitterly.

Theo took the hint and nodded, "I was just letting you know. I will be on my way."

Liam nodded in response, his face less angry, which Theo took as Liam's way of apologizing for his rudeness. Theo then grabbed his things before walking off the property and to the bus stop.

* * *

Not much had changed since Theo had begun working at the Dunbar mansion. Liam's parents still weren't home and Liam did not acknowledge Theo at school, nor did he speak to Theo at his home either. Theo had started to believe that the brief discussion they had on the first day of work was just an anomaly and probably would not happen again. This did not, however, stop Corey from trying to pry into Theo's business about his job.

"What's his room like?" Corey asked Theo while they sat together at lunch.

"I work outside, i have only been in the house one time, and I did not go into his room," Theo laughed a bit as he ate his lunch. He had been working for there for a little over two weeks now, and everyday at lunch with Corey was the same.

"Well, has he atleast spoken to you again?" Corey asked him curiously.

Theo shook his head, "No, he usually just comes home from lacrosse, and goes inside, doesn't even make eye contact." In honesty, it kind of bothered Theo that Liam did not acknowledge him, at work or at school. Theo knew that he was the help, but ever since that first day, Theo thought maybe there was more to Liam. However this lack of communication proved to Theo that Liam was that same asshole Theo always thought he was.

"Well I guess it doesn't matter," Corey responded, disappointed from the lack of drama or romance that Theo had to report. "Its Friday and we should have some fun. Movie night?"

"I can come after work, its hedge trimming day," Theo chuckled and nodded to his friend.

* * *

Theo was working to get the hedges done quickly, because the dark clouds suggested that rain was on the way. If he finished this task early, he knew he could leave, and hopefully be at Corey's for movie night before the rain started to pick up. When Theo was finally done with trimming the hedges, he checked over everything one last time in order to make sure everything was all set before he left. He then checked his phone and noticed a notification saying that Beacon Hills was issued a "severe thunderstorm warning". Theo quickly began getting the equipment back in the shed so he could hurry to Corey's place.

After locking up the shed Theo turned around and saw Liam right there, and almost collided with him. "Oh sorry, I didn't even hear you come out here. Is there anything I can do?" Theo asked him, praying the answer was no, so he could be on his way.

Liam stood there silent for a second, and Theo noticed he was different. This was the Liam that Theo had seen on his first day of work, not the asshole Liam that Theo normally say. "Um, we are supposed to be getting some bad storms," Liam said simply.

"Yeah, we have a warning, which I why I was hoping to be able to leave early just this once," Theo replied, hoping Liam would get the message and let him leave, but also, Theo was concerned about Liam's behavior at the moment.

"Actually," Liam said and paused again, it was clear to Theo that Liam was nervous about something. Liam looked at the sky, and at a large crack of thunder, he jumped a bit. Then Theo understood, Liam had anxiety about storms, and he would be all alone when this storm passed through.

Theo did not want to cancel movie day with Corey, nor did spending all night with Liam appeal to him, but the way Liam was acting concerned Theo. He could not just leave Liam alone here. Liam was proud, and Theo knew it would be hard for Liam to ask Theo to stay, so Theo decided to ask himself. "You are right, it seems the storm is almost here, it would be dangerous to leave. Could I stay here?"

Theo noticed a change in Liam's expression, it was not a smile, perhaps it was shock, or relief, or both. Liam then nodded, "Of course, safety first, come on in."

"Thanks for looking out for me," Theo said as he followed Theo inside. He texted Corey telling him that he would have miss movie night, and he texted his mom to tell her where he'd be staying.

In honesty, it was lucky that Theo did stay at the Dunbar mansion, because only a few minutes after they got inside, the down poor of rain began, accompanied by large sounds of thunder.


	4. Chapter 4

"So let me get this straight," Corey told Theo on the phone, "You are missing movie night because of the storms that are rolling in and Liam wants you to stay over?" Theo sensed a range of emotions in his friend's voice, spanning from disbelief to borderline excitement.

"Well he did not ask me, per say, but I think he does not want to be alone," Theo whispered to the phone, fearing Liam might overhear him in the other room. "I would feel like shit if I left him during this, besides, I do not think I would be able to make it to your house before the storms start getting bad. I am sorry, but movie night will have to be rescheduled."

"Are you kidding?!" Corey yelled and Theo feared the worst. Ever since he had started working, he and Corey had not been able to spend as much time together and he knew Corey really wanted to hang out. However, Theo was shocked by how Corey continued, "You are staying the night at Liam Dunbar's house! Like, 95% of smut fan fiction starts that way. Stay over there, and tell me every scandalous detail when you come home! Enjoy, Raeken."

Theo sighed and rolled his eyes, "Goodbye Corey," he said before hanging up the phone. He knew that Corey was just joking, but in honesty, Theo had considered the odd situation that they were in. Here he was, staying the night at Liam Dunbar's house, a fantasy of over half the school. However, Theo knew that nothing would happen, Liam is taken and all evidence suggests he is straight. 'Thiam', as Corey had affectionately begun calling it, was over before it could begin. Theo was just being a good friend to Liam and making sure he was safe from the storm, thats all.

After hanging up on Corey, Theo made his way back to the living room, where Liam was sitting on the couch watching the weather channel closely. Now that Theo was off the clock, he finally noticed just how nice the Dunbar mansion was. Their living room was decorated with ornate furniture, not to mention the massive size of everything. The living room alone could fit a dozen people comfortably atleast. This place seemed way to big for just a small family of three. Theo sat on one of the couches and felt miles away from Liam. "It, uh, it sucks you had to cancel your plans," Liam said to Theo, as a small way to apologize for indirectly asking Theo to stay over.

"Corey was understanding, you know, safety must come first, and I am not even sure the bus would run in the storm," Theo explained, which was not a lie, but he knew if he really wanted to, he could have made it to Corey's. This did not mean that Theo was upset to cancel his plans. In honesty, he was worried for Liam, who seemed to act differently at home, especially today with the news of the storms. Theo just would not have felt right leaving him there alone.

"Bus? You take the bus around? You don't drive?" Liam asked Theo in a confused tone.

Theo smiled a bit to himself, of course rich kid Liam never would have had to take the bus, he always got around in the newest most expense model of sports car. Theo nodded, "Yes, I take the bus, my family does not own a car, so my mom and I take the bus when we go places." He explained, and he shockingly noticed an expression of guilt from Liam, as if he was sorry for asking about it. "So, what are they saying about the storms? Are they going to be as bad as they look?" He then glanced out the window where he saw dark clouds. then he noticed rain droplets splashing on to the window.

"They are saying it could be pretty bad," Liam replied, his voice almost shaking. This reaffirmed to Theo that Liam had serious anxiety about storms, because Liam would not be this vulnerable if it was not serious. "They are saying it could last all night."

Theo watched as he saw this completely new side of Liam, a side of Liam he had caught glimpses of before, but was now seeing the whole thing. As he was seeing this, Theo felt the urge to try and protect Liam as much as could. Though Theo did not know how to survive a thunderstorm, he did know how to sound knowledgeable to comfort Liam. "Well it is best we get prepared. We should get some flashlights, and perhaps some pillows and blankets so we can stay down here. It is safer to stay on the ground floor."

Liam seemed to calm down slightly as Theo spoke. The boys then began to get prepared for the storm, pulling out some snacks, and making sort of a bed out of pillows and blankets on the floor of the living room. Throughout this process, Liam seemed to have calmed down, and that put Theo at ease. He hated seeing Liam like that, and he hoped perhaps, he would not have to again. The two sat down on the blankets and kept watching the forecast, hoping that something changes and the predictions of a dangerous storm goes down.

"Maybe you could call Hayden, make sure she is doing well?" Theo suggested to Liam as he saw the forecast doubling down on their predictions. He was hoping that talking to Hayden would calm Liam down more than Theo could, after all, they were dating.

Liam shook his head slightly and looked down at his phone, which had him and Hayden as its lock screen. "She, uh, she wouldn't understand, probably best if I didn't." Liam turned his phone over so he was no longer looking at the lock screen. Theo watched Liam's mannerisms and began to wonder if the rumors of Liam and Hayden being on thin ice were true. "She just, doesn't get my feelings sometimes, I highly doubt she would get this."

Theo furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he listened to Liam explain his relationship with Hayden. None of this made sense to Theo. Liam and Hayden were dating, how could she not understand him? What kind of relationship is that? "Then why are you with her?" Theo blurted out, but regretted it. He pushed to far, and he knew that was wrong. "I am just saying, if you can't call her at a time like this, what kind of relationship is that?"

Liam shot an angry glance at Theo, Liam's trademark fury was now visible again, and in a way it comforted Theo to see it. The Liam that Theo was used to was still in there somewhere. "We have a good relationship, but nothing is perfect! Why would I take advice from you! I have never even seen you date anyone."

"You are right, and I am sorry, I should not have said anything," Theo replied and sighed. It was true, Theo had never been in a serious relationship before. He's hooked up with people a few times, but he's never actually found someone that he clicked with enough to invest his time in to. Perhaps he was to picky, but he wanted a spark, he wanted some passion, and he has yet to find it. "But maybe you should call her. She could surprise you."

Liam's anger melted away once again as he looked down, fiddling with his fingers. "She wouldn't, we have been through this before. We were at her place and a storm came through, and she told me I was being ridiculous, and irrational. But I-I can't help it. I do not know what it is. I haven't had any traumatic thunderstorm incident, but I get shaken up when a storm come through. She's right, it is ridiculous and irrational."

Theo shook his head in protest, "No it isn't. Liam, if you can't help it, then its not ridiculous. Everyone has fears or anxiety about something. Just because not everyone shares the same anxieties or fears as you, does not make you ridiculous. Don't let people tell you that." Theo was very passionate about this. He has been at Corey's side all these years as people have made fun of him for social anxiety, and it always infuriated Theo. He was not going to let Hayden do the same thing to Liam.

"Oh yeah? Well whats yours?" Liam asked, and Theo knew this was Liam's way of getting even. Theo knew Liam's fear, so Liam got to know Theo's.

"Bridges," Theo responded to Liam confidently, to show Liam he was to ashamed, "Or I guess, heights, but a lot of times bridges trigger that fear. The idea of being high up and the only thing supporting me is a piece of wood or metal placed there by humans is utterly terrifying," Theo said with a small chuckle.

Liam laughed a bit too. "Well now you don't make my fear of storms sound to emasculating," Liam teased and both boys laughed. When the calmed down, they both jumped a bit when the lights shut off. The storm had knocked the power out. Liam grabbed one of the flashlights and turned it on, "And I hate when this happens too," he said with a deep fear in his voice.

"Liam its ok, its just the lights," Theo calmly replied, trying to make sure Liam did not freak out. "We have the flashlights, so there is nothing to worry about." The sound of thunder echoed around them, as flashes of lighting occasionally illuminated the room.

Liam nodded and tried to slow his breathing and stop his shaking. "You are right, its just the lights, nothing to worry about. We can still watch the forecast on our phones if need be," Liam said to Theo, but it was clear he was just trying to calm himself down. Soon, they heard some strange noise coming from outside, but it was not thunder or the moving of debris. The boys looked towards the window to see if they can figure out what it was then Liam's eyes widened, "Oh my God, Ruby. She must have gotten out through the dog door!"

Theo has already had a few run ins with Ruby, the Dunbar's corgi. The dog was spunky and tended to act upon its own will, often causing disruption in Theo's landscaping work. The boys rushed to window to see if they could find her, but at the first crack of thunder, Liam instinctively backed up. Theo's eyes scanned the yard and saw a pile of pool furniture that had blown over in the wind, "There she is, she's trapped under some chairs." He watched at the poor animal moved frantically, trying to squirm her way out from under the chair. "I will have to go get her."

"Theo, no! The wind is crazy, it was powerful enough to move the furniture, just think if something hits you!" Liam said but his eyes returned to the sight of Ruby trapped under the furniture. It was clear Liam was filled with fear upon the sight of his dog being trapped.

"I can't let her stay out there, I am going," Theo replied before walking to the door, with Liam following close behind, "Open the door for me when I come back ok?" Liam nodded and Theo walked out into the rain and shut the door behind him. The wind truly was powerful, so as Theo began to step forward, he found it difficult to walk in a straight line. Nonetheless, he pushed forward, ignoring the cold rain almost feeling like needles due to the high power of the wind. He walked for what seemed like ages until he finally reached the pile of furniture. He knelt down and began to pet Ruby softly, "Shhhh, I will get you," he told the dog as he began to pull off the furniture while still fighting the wind.

Eventually the furniture pile was light enough for Theo to be able to pull Ruby out of from under it. After picking her up, he began his trek back to the door, where he could barely see Liam watching through the window. Dodging a few twigs flying through the air due to the wind, Theo eventually made it back inside and Liam slammed the door behind him. "Oh my god, Theo, thank you so much!" Liam said and took Ruby into his arms.

"Well I couldn't see a dog in danger, and I hated seeing you upset about it," Theo said and chuckled, soaking wet from the rain, he might as well of jumped into the pool while he was out there. "But see? Everything is ok!" Liam nodded to Theo, and the two looked each other in the eyes. Much to Theo's shock, Liam leaned forward quickly and Kiss Theo quickly before pulling back just as quickly.


	5. Chapter 5

The two males looked at each other, frozen in the moment. What were they supposed to do? Liam had kissed Theo out of the blue, and now they were just staring at one another. Theo was unsure of what to do. As they stood in shock, Ruby brome the awkwardness when she began to walk into the living room, causing Liam to go after her, "No! Not on the carpet, you're covered in mud!" he said and ran after her. He then looked at Theo, it was clear that Liam still did not know how to proceed, but they couldn't just stare at each other all night, "I am going to, uh, clean her off, you can change into dry clothes, my room is upstairs to the right."

Theo nodded simply and walked upstairs to Liam's room and closed the door. "What the hell was that?" he asked himself as he made his way to the male's closet to pick out some clothes to borrow. Theo did NOT want to catch feelings for Liam, he knew that Liam was taken, and straight, but that kiss. The kiss told a different story. Confusion on sexualities aside, Theo knew the kiss meant everything was not what it seemed. He felt the spark, he felt something more than an accidental kiss made in excitement. However, Theo knew he had to abandon these thoughts, there was no way he and Liam had a future. Liam was the Prince of Beacon Hills, heir to a fortune, and Theo was the lawn boy, who will always be a lawn boy.

Theo decided on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, knowing that anything else Liam owned would probably be too nice for Theo to wear, not to mention the size difference, as Theo as a bit taller and bigger than Liam. Theo returned downstairs and sat down in the living room, and a few moments later, Liam came and sat down as well. "I'm, uh, I am sorry for that in there. I was just excited to have gotten Ruby back. I wasn't trying to do anything..." but Liam trailed off.

"Its fine, it really is, I understand," Theo replied, but it was not fine, not one bit. Theo could not stop replaying that moment, what could have been if Theo kissed back. Could there have been anything? Should there be? Not only was Theo more confused about Liam than he ever had been, but now Theo was confused about his own feelings. He thought his feelings for Liam had left him along with the pimples and awkwardness of middle school, but this kiss proved something else. Theo had feelings for Liam, maybe they were lingering from middle school, or maybe they were new feelings, after seeing the softer side of Liam. Either way, Theo hated it. He was falling for a straight guy, and one with a girlfriend at that. Just because there was a kiss, did not mean that Liam's sexuality was anything different than what he said it was.

"You know, I am not gay," Liam said, assuringly to Theo, but part of Theo felt that maybe Liam was trying harder to convince himself, "I like girls."

Theo nodded and raised his eyebrow, "Well there is a thing as being bisexual, liking boys or girls, or pansexual, liking people of any gender."

"I am not any of those either!" Liam snapped back and looked down, "Not that there is anything wrong with either of them, but I am just not. I am with Hayden, and I love her, and we are happy together.

"Listen man, I do not care who or what you like, I am not doubting what you say," Theo said wanting too change the topic. He sensed something deeper in this, but he knew pushing the issue would probably throw Liam into a anxious state that would be harmful combined with his anxiety about the storms. "We should probably get some sleep, the storms seemed to have calmed down a bit, so we should sleep while there isn't loud thunder to wake us up."

"What if the weather gets bad again but we don't notice because we are asleep?" Liam asked nervously.

"I will keep my cellphone turned up so it will alert us, now get some sleep," Theo responded kindly before the two boys laid down on the blankets and pillows they had brought down earlier. However the truth was, Theo could not sleep, his mind was stirring so much. Instead he watched as Liam slept soundly, finally relaxed after a night full of anxiety. For a split second Theo imagined that this was his life, laying next to Liam, comforting him through the night. The idea brought a smile on his face, but the burst of reality killed the smile and formed a pit in his stomach. Liam was not a possibility, and Theo had to accept that, but how could he when every time he looked at Liam, is heart skipped a beat?

* * *

On Saturday the storms cleared up, defying the initial predictions by the weather person, but the skies were clear and the sun was shining bright. Much like the dramatic change in weather, the moods of the two boys changed as well. It seemed that sun being out reverted them back to the way they were, and they spoke that morning as if they barely knew each other. Theo politely said goodbye and Liam replied with a small thank you before Theo went on his way.

On Saturday evening, Theo did something he rarely did, he went to the lacrosse game with Corey. Usually the games were on Friday but this one was pushed back due to the storms. Corey loved the lacrosse games for a multitude of reasons, but mainly, it was another excuse to be in the same vicinity as Mason. As the boys sat there, Theo noticed Corey was staring at Liam and mason who were talking on the sidelines before the game started, "You know, Liam told me last night that Mason likes you too," Theo told his best friend. Theo wanted to keep the details of Friday night to a minimum, and surprisingly Corey understood, but of course Theo need to share that piece of information.

"Really?" Corey asked with a wide smile before looking back down at Mason and Liam, "When he leaves Liam I will go talk to him. Frankly, Liam scares me a little bit." Corey then chucked before being Hayden walk up to Mason and Liam, "Oh, and here is my cue, ill be back, maybe." The, Corey stood up, but stopped as he saw the anger and yelling coming from Hayden. Mason slowly walked away from the couple, but Hayden kept on with her agitated rant. The ordeal was ended by a nice smack to Liam's face, and a dramatic storm off. "Oh my gosh I think they just broke up."

"It appears they did," Theo replied as he watched Liam's body language, the male did not seem sad, but he seemed almost scared, not of Hayden, but of something else. Theo wondered if the kiss had anything do with this, but he would not tell Corey about it. Something like that is not something Theo had any business telling. Besides, Theo was probably flattering himself, that kiss meant nothing to Liam. But maybe it did.

"Maybe I won't go talk to Mason now, Liam needs his best friend right now," Corey announced before sitting back down next to Theo, " Did Liam mention anything about this to you yesterday? Did you pick up on any hints of this happening?"

Theo shook his head, a lie if he'd ever told one, but he would not spill any secret information about Liam's life. "No, not that I can think of," Theo's thoughts were disrupted when he noticed someone sit next to him, a beautiful brunette with striking eyes. He knew those eyes anywhere, she was a Hale. "Hi, can I help you."

"Hi, my name is Cora, I do not usually do these types of things, but I was just wondering maybe if we could go out sometime, maybe I could give you my number," She suggested to him with a small flirtatious smile. Never had he heard any rumors of Cora Hale liking him, in fact, he did not even know Cora knew who he was. The Dunbar's and the Romero's were rich, but the Hale's were richer, they were the top family of this town.

Theo thought for a moment, feeling hesitant to accept this offer, but then he got frustrated. Here was a beautiful and seemingly nice girl who wants to go out with him, but he is going to say no because he has feelings for a guy who can't like him back. He nodded to her, "Of course, that sounds lovely." As he pulled out his phone to put in her number, he glanced at Liam who, to his surprise, was glancing back. The two made eye contact before Liam looked away quickly. Theo felt a twinge of guilt seeing the way Liam looked at him and Cora, but he knew he couldn't let that stop him.

 **A/N: So I am going to have Liam struggle a bit with his sexuality so I want to apologize now to anyone who may not like that, it won't be the main focus o the story tho! Secondly I have much more drama about relationships, but also with the world of Rich and poor that this AU takes places in. Also I had Cora be the girl that asks Theo out because I shipped Theo with a girl it would be her. I would love for any feedback to be sent in!**


	6. Chapter 6

The weekend came and went so it was back to work and back to reality for Theo. He and Liam barely acknowledged each other at school, and once again, it was just Theo and Corey at the lunch table. It seemed all was just as it used to be, all except one thing. Theo had been texting Cora Hale the past couple of days and the two were going to go on a date soon. Theo grinned as he ate his lunch, "I can't believe Cora Hale asked me out!"

"I can't believe you said yes," Corey grumbled and ate his lunch. Theo knew that deep down, Corey was happy for him, but Theo also knew that Corey still fancied the idea of Theo and Liam getting together eventually. "I am sorry," Corey continued," I am happy for you, really I am, but you have to admit this is weird. Just two days ago you were telling me how in love with Liam you are, now you are going out with someone else, I can't help but think that you are just going out with Cora to try and erase your feelings for Liam."

"First of all," Theo began as he looked at his friend who was sitting across from him, "I never said I was in love with anyone, he and I just kissed, thats all, and he is the one who initiated it. Second of all, Liam cannot like me back, he's straight, I am only fooling myself by thinking that we might have a chance together. And lastly, Cora is beautiful and so far seems really nice, maybe I'm not head over heels for her right now, but I can see myself liking her eventually."

Corey glared at his friend, obviously unconvinced. "You do realize everything you just said is bullshit right? First of all," He said in a tone to mock his best friend, "It doesn't matter who kissed who, the kiss happened and you know you felt something. Second of all, if he was straight why would he kiss you? And lastly... well I have nothing for that last part, Cora does seem very nice."

"Come on! The poor boy was confused and in a heightened state because of everything that happened. You weren't there, he was not thinking clearly, the kiss was obviously from the adrenaline rush of the situation, just let it go," Theo responded, trying to shut down any thoughts of something more.

"Fine," Corey grumbled then turned to look at the lunch table where Liam usually sat. His seat was filled, but not by him. In Liam's normal seat, the one next to Hayden, sat Nolan, one of the many preps in the school, usually seen as Liam's biggest rival. Corey narrowed his eyes to look closer, "Holy shit, she moved on fast. You would think she would need some time to process it, I can't believe she is already with someone else."

Theo turned and looked at the popular table, where his own sight confirmed Corey's statements. "Yeah that is odd," He replied, and his dislike for Hayden grew more. Liam cared about her, and yet she moved on so quickly after they broke up. His eyes then went to Liam, who was coming out of the lunch line, looking around for a place to sit like a lost dog. He glanced at his usual table, but it was full with no sign of accommodating him. He sulked away and sat alone.

"Mason must be out sick today. The timing is horrible, he does not have anyone to sit with. Come on, invite him over here, I won't say anything," Corey said to Theo, genuinely concerned that Liam was eating alone.

Theo nodded and turned to look at Liam, right before the two male's made eye-contact, their line of sight was blocked by someone who said, "hey handsome!" Theo looked up and saw Cora Hale approach the table and sit down next to him.

Theo smiled and made room at the table for Cora, "Oh, uh, hi, I did not know that you had lunch this period." Theo smiled at her before noticing another familiar face sit on the other side of the table, it was Stiles. "And I did not know you had this lunch either."

"Yes we do, we usually sit over in the back of the cafeteria, but I figured why not sit with you from now on?" Cora said and held Theo's hand. Cora was known around school for her case of resting bitch face, and for the fact that in her school career she is one of the best soccer players to ever attend beacon hills. She also had a nasty reputation of getting in fights with boys who would say or do something sexist.(She usually won those fights, and in honesty it only made Theo like her more) However, since he'd been texting her, Theo got to see a different side of Cora, a softer side. "This is Stiles by the way, he's kind of dating my brother, and none of his friends have this lunch period so I let him sit with me."

Stiles, with a handful of French fries in his mouth looked up at Cora, "I thought we were friends too?"

"Oh yes, of course we are!" Cora said and laughed a bit, with Theo joining in a bit at the end. Cora then turned to Theo, "So, we are still on for our date right? The night walk by the river?"

Theo nodded with a smile, he and Cora weren't dating, they were just going on dates to see how compatible they were, which could perhaps lead to dating. "Yes of course, when I get off work ill have to go home and change and then I'll meet you over there."

* * *

Theo was doing his normal Monday work at the Dunbar's, which mainly included trimming the hedges and making sure all of the pool furniture was spotless. However, many times when he'd show up, Mr. or Mrs. Dunbar would always leave a note, suggesting what more Theo could to to take care of the yard. In honesty, Theo did not mind, the job paid extremely well, and he wasn't doing anything to bad. When he was in the front yard, trimming the hedges, he heard the stereos of Liam's car and turned to watch the male park his car and get out. He offered a polite smile before Liam stopped to talk to him a bit. "I, uh, I saw you with Cora Hale at lunch today, and at the game on Friday."

Theo raised his eyebrow, confused about why Liam was even bringing this up. Perhaps he was curious, Theo knew that the richer families enjoyed gossiping about each other. "Yeah, we are actually going on a date tonight."

Liam nodded, with an emotionless expression, "Oh... Well if you needed to leave early to make it on time, I won't tell my parents."

Theo chuckled a bit, "Thank you, but I should have time," he replied and paused for a moment, "I heard that you and Hayden broke up, I hope everything is ok there."

"Its fine," Liam said and looked down, " Honestly, what you said really stuck with me, thats why I broke it off. I just wish that she hadn't moved on so quickly, thats all."

"Well its her loss," Theo said assuringly, "Besides, she's with Nolan now? I think she is just trying to get to you. He's a complete downgrade." Theo then offered a teasing smile. Liam chuckled a bit at the joke and then he walked inside.

* * *

Later that night, Theo had dressed in a semi casual button up with some black jeans for his date with Cora. He knew it was just a walk by the river, but he also knew that Cora always wore make brand. As he got off the bus, he smiled as he saw Cora waiting on a bench for him. "I am sorry I'm later than I meant to be, the bus was running late."

Cora stood up with a grin and laced her arm through Theo's as they began to walk together, "It is no problem at all, I understand." She continued walking before she looked over at him, "You clean up nice, but you didn't have to get all dressed up for me."

Theo laughed a bit and nodded, "I just wanted you to know that I am serious about us, thats all. Which reminds me, sorry we couldn't go to the movies like you had wanted, its just, money is tight right now at home and..."

Theo was interrupted by Cora, "Do not apologize Theo, the movies were just a suggestion but this idea was much better. I know you may think I am some type of way because of my family, but growing up with money only made me realize that I don't need money. I just need someone who I care about and who cares about me. I don't need fancy things or extravagant dates, I just want you." She then leaned in and kissed Theo softly. It was the perfect moment, a nice kiss under the moonlight, it was almost straight out a romantic movie. It felt nice to experience such a romantic and sweet moment, which was almost perfect. It was not entirely perfect because of the one thought that kept pestering Theo's mind. The thought that, no matter how beautiful this moment was, it did not give him the fireworks. The thought that this kiss did not gave him the same feeling that this was the start of the rest of his life. Theo was plagued by that though that, he'd rather be kissing Liam.


	7. Chapter 7

It was Friday night, the usual night for a lacrosse game. The school had been buzzing about it since the season started, because it was going to be against Beacon Hills' biggest rival, Davenforth Prep. Every year this was the most attended game, and it was the one most people cared about. Theo was not usually up for going to this game because of the large crowds, but Cora invited him and he could not say no to her. Through this past week Cora and Theo had been texting and talking non stop, they seemed to be inseparable, not that Theo minded. He was actually happy with her, and he felt this could be the start of a great relationship. The only thing he did not like so much was her friends. Cora was in the rich and popular crowd, meaning her friends included Lydia Martin, Allison Argent, and Scott McCall. It wasn't so much them he minded, in fact he and Lydia seemed to be forming a friendship, but talking to Cora's friends meant sitting with, going to parties with, and hanging out with the other popular people, including people like Hayden.

As the couple approached the stands, Cora caught sight of Lydia in one of the first rows on bleachers, popular territory, so Cora smiled and led Theo over to her. This was the first time Theo had ever sat in this section of the bleachers, let alone with most of these people. "Hello Cora, hey Theo," Lydia said with a smile to the couple. Theo was always impressed about Lydia's grace when around Cora. The whole town new Lydia has a thing for stiles, who is currently dating Derek, Cora's brother, but Lydia never seemed to take it out on either of them. Even though Lydia had feelings for someone she could not have, she always handled it with grace.

"Hey Lydia, where is everyone else? I figured they would be here by now" Cora asked before sitting down in front of Lydia, with Theo at her side. She looked across the massive crowd, "Damn, it seems like there are more and more people each year. No one ever shows up to the soccer games, even when we play Davenforth."

"Well you know, lacrosse runs this town," Lydia responded before looking across the field, "And you know all of them, they are to busy talking to their lacrosse playing boyfriends, promising them kisses, or perhaps more, if they pull out this win tonight. As if winning matters, the party afterwards is still going to kick ass."

"Lydia, do not even make fun of anyone," Cora said and laughed a bit, "You had a lacrosse playing boyfriend too."

"Jackson and I were not good together, trust me on that," Lydia replied and laughed a bit before she perked up and waved at Allison as she came over. "How is Scott? Is he nervous?"

Allison sat down next to Lydia after politely waving to Cora and Theo, "Well he is how he always is, which is honestly hard to understand," She said and laughed, "He is not so much worried for himself, but for Liam. Davenforth's captain always seems to have it out for Liam. He's hoping Hayden can calm Liam down before the game starts."

Theo furrowed his eyebrows as he listened to Allison speak, Theo had never heard Liam mention anything about Davenforth's captain. He was also shocked to hear the mention of Hayden, perhaps Allison was mistaken. Theo glanced across the field and was almost horrified by what he saw. He saw Hayden and Liam, talking together before the game, like they had always done. Theo normally did not get involved with Cora's friends' conversations, but he had to ask, "Wait, I thought Liam and Hayden broke up, wasn't she dating Nolan?"

"You know just as much as I do," Lydia replied, she was known by many to be the person who knows all the details, so it was shocking she could not explain this phenomenon. "This whole situation is odd, Liam and Hayden broke up for god knows why, she moves on to Nolan, but by the end of the week she's back with Liam. I guess when two people are meant to be together they find a way. But I really thought she and Nolan would stay together after.."

"Yeah I guess," Theo replied and stared at the field as they game began to start. Then, when he heard Lydia trail off, he turned around, "After what?"

Lydia smiled slyly and shook her head, "Sweet Theo, I don't open my mouth for just anyone. Some secrets, should just remain secrets."

Joining them on the bleachers was Corey, Mason, and Hayden. Theo tried not to speak to Hayden very much, if at all. He still had a bad taste in his mouth about her from the way Liam spoke of her. So Theo concentrated on the game, and he noticed one of the Davenforth players was constantly after Liam. Theo turned to the group, "Who is that really tall player who keeps knocking Liam down?"

"Thats Brett Talbot, captain of Davenforth Prep's team, arguably one of the best lacrosse players in the state. Thats why he hates Liam, who is arguably the other best lacrosse player in the state," Allison explained at they watched Liam's mood plummet. Theo could tell just by watching his body language that Liam was getting mad.

"Liam needs to calm down, before he does something that gets him thrown out," Theo said, his eyes still on Liam as he played.

"No he is fine, trust me," Hayden interjected as she too watched her boyfriend on the field.

Theo nodded a bit but mostly ignored her. Then he felt a tug on his arm from Cora, "That reminds me, I have been meaning to ask you, will you go with me the Talbot's annual charity gala? Brett's parents throw it and they are awful people for the most part, but the gala does raise a lot of money. You would not need to worry about a thing, just show up in something nice."

Theo smiled at the prospect of being Cora's official date to a formal event. Of course he was nervous, but he considered this moving to a new level in his relationship with Cora. "Sure I would love to!"

"You are going to the gala?" Hayden interrupted as she looked over at him, "Liam is not going to like that, considering that he and Brett are practically enemies."

Theo clenched his teeth and stood up, "Lucky for me, Liam isn't my keeper." He then began to walk away, "I am going to the concession stand."

* * *

Beacon Hills won the game, but it was close. Everyone was overjoyed, but in honesty Theo really did not care, he was just glad that Liam did not get thrown out or even hurt from Brett. Before leaving Theo was going to the concession stand one last time, when he passed Liam. He smiled a bit, "Good game."

Liam offered a small smile, which oddly enough, was the happiest Theo had seen him all night. "Thanks, I'm just glad I put Talbot in his place."

Theo chuckled and nodded at Liam, "Yes, you definitely did. Speaking of him, Cora invited me to his family's gala on Friday, will I see you there?"

Liam's face dropped as he heard Theo's news. Theo did not know what, but he could tell that Liam did not want him at that gala. "You shouldn't go, the Talbots are a horrible family."

"But its for charity," Theo replied simply.

"Just don't go!" Liam snapped back, getting a bit heated.

"Why does it matter to you?" Theo shot back. He did not like whatever game Liam was playing, like Liam would only be friends with Theo when Theo was mowing the lawn. Theo was used to dealing with this classist attitude but he did think Liam was different. Then Theo saw Hayden on the bleachers and he then knew why Liam did not want him there. "If this is about that night, I won't say anything."

It was then that Theo knew he did something wrong, because he could tell by Liam's face he should not have mentioned that. "Shut up. That was nothing, I don't care what you think it was!"

"Calm down," Theo responded, trying to cool down Liam's anger. "If I wanted to tell people, I already would have. I know it was nothing, and no one else will know, but what bothers me most from that night is how you talked about Hayden," Theo added, unable to believe what was coming out of his mouth. Why should he care who Liam dates? Why should he care if Liam is in an unhappy relationship? Liam chose to be with Hayden, so why did Theo care? "You said she did not treat you right, yet, here you are, back with her."

"You don't know anything," Liam said, his voice getting more angry and more powerful.

"I know what you told me," Theo snapped back and crossed his arms, he knew he should walk away because this wasn't his business. However, its like his body wasn't listening, and he stood there, continuing to discuss this with Liam.

"Exactly! But you don't know everything!" Liam was yelling now and slowly making his way toward Theo, "You don't know whats its like to grow up in a family like mine, to have a legacy to protect to have everyone's eyes on you! I have certain obligations, certain duties that my family and society expects of me. I have to be with Hayden because she is the one for me! But you can't understand that!"

Theo balled his fists as the two males were standing inches apart, staring at each other, "You are right, I don't understand what its like to put money and legacy over love and happiness, I am glad I don't know what thats like!"

Before the argument could escalate any further, Cora got in between them and pushed them away from each other. "Calm down! The both of you! Theo, come on, we are going!" She said and took Theo's hand, dragging him to her care. After they were in the solitude of her own care she looked over at him, "What the hell was that? I thought you and Liam were friends! Not to mention you work for his parents, he could get you fired! Theo, I know you need that job!" Her tone was a concerned anger, rather than an attack.

"I am sorry, I just got heated and he got heated, we both just escalated," Theo said and sighed, ashamed to have gotten in that state when Cora could see him.

"What were you two even arguing about anyway?" She asked him and grabbed his hand.

Theo shook his head and looked down, "It was nothing important, I promise, just... Guy stuff I guess you could say."

* * *

Later that night, Cora dropped Theo off at home, and he noticed the lights still on in his house. It was not like his mother to still be up this late, even on a weekend. Theo walked inside and saw his mom in the living room, "Mom, you're up late."

Before his mother could say anything, Theo saw someone jump out of the next room and yell,"Surprise!" When Theo saw who it was his face instantly lit up. It was Jordan Parrish, Theo's adoptive brother, well kind of. Only a few years older than Theo, Jordan lived in the neighborhood, but came from an abusive home. Though Theo's mom did not adopt him officially, Jordan ran away from his home and came to live at Theo's for most of his life. Therefore, Theo considered Jordan to be family. A couple of years ago, when Jordan graduated from Beacon Hills, he enlisted in the army and has spent a lot of time over seas, but apparently he was back.

"Jordan!" Theo said happily and hugged his brother tightly, " You're back!" It had been almost a year since he had seen Jordan in person, although they frequently wrote letters and video chatted. "How long are you back for?"

"However long they let me stay," Jordan chuckled a bit, "But I am more interested in what has happened with you. Mom tells me that you have girlfriend, a certain, Ms. Cora Hale" Jordan said with a grin, he and Cora's brother Derek were in the same graduating class and were best fiends, so Jordan knew Cora well, "I always had a thing for her myself, Derek always hated it."

"I am going to let you two talk," Theo's mom said with a laugh before beginning to walk out.

"Wait mom, before you do, I need to find something nice to wear, because Cora invited me to go with her to the Talbot charity gala on Friday," He told his mom but then saw her face visibly grow somber.

"Theo, you do not need to go to that," She told him with a serious expression, "The Talbot's are bad people, especially Mr. Talbot, always hiring young pretty maids then dismissing them when his wife finds out of their affairs. Thats the lion's den Theo, you should not go."

"So everyone keeps telling me," he sighed a bit in annoyance, but he knew his mom was tying to protect him, "But I already told her I would go, I can't just bail on that commitment."

"Enough serious talk, we can save that for the morning," Parrish said, lightening the mood, as if trying to avoid this conversation all together.

 **Thanks for reading, as always, feedback is welcome!**


	8. Chapter 8

On Saturday, there was going to be a massive party to celebrate Beacon Hills beating their rival Davenforth Prep. Theo and Cora were planning on going because almost the entire school would be there. Theo was not usually one for the house party scene, but with Cora he was willing to go, and after all, it could be more fun than he was anticipating. However, the party did not start until 8, meaning Theo would have to wait at home all day for it to start, expect he actually had lunch plans. Much to Theo's surprise, Lydia Martin had texted him and told him that they needed to speak right away. It was urgent, but it needed to remain a secret. Theo did not think much of this, he figured maybe it had something to do with some sort of surprise for Cora, something he would be more than happy to assist with. So, as he sat in the coffee shop waiting for Lydia, Theo had no idea how this meeting would actually turn out. He saw her walk in and he smiled and waved, "Hey Lydia!"

Lydia smiled back as she quickly walked to the table and sat down quickly. "Hey Theo," she said in her usually perky tone, but then she looked around as if to see who all was surrounding him, and when she turned back, her face had a somber expression. She leaned in so she could speak softly, "This meeting never happened ok?" Theo nodded slightly to her, growing a little concerned on what was actually going on. "I would not be doing this if I did not think it was for the best, its not my business to say anything. To stick your neck in, is to get your neck cut, especially in this society, but I care to much about Liam, and you're the only one who he might listen to."

Theo leaned in at the mention of Liam, he was more confused now than ever. "Lydia, what the hell are you talking about? Is Liam ok?" he asked, concerned for Liam, knowing that his personal life might not be the best. "and why do you think he would listen to me? You are a closer friend with him than I am. Lydia, what is happening?"

As if ignoring all of Theo's questions, she began to speak once again, "I have kept so many secrets for him, to protect him, and to make him happy. I do not always agree with his choices, and I know he is confused but he won't let me help him in any other way than being his confidant. But this, this is too much. He is going to ruin his life, and its all based on a lie. I have to be vague Theo, if Liam thinks I told you before you find out, he will never speak to me again. But Theo, you are the only one that can get him out of this."

"Lydia, I need more details," Theo replied, deeply concerned for Liam's well being. His mind raced with infinite thoughts of how Liam could somehow be in danger, and whatever ways Theo may be able to save him. "How am I supposed to help him if you do not tell me anything. I can keep a secret, Lydia, you just need to tell me what is going on."

She shook her head, "No, I can't tell you because it is not my business. He told me and some other friends in confidence and I cannot betray that. I can't tell you what he told us," Lydia said, her loyalty being completely to Liam, "I cannot betray him, even if it means saving him, but I can find a loophole. I can't tell you what he told me, but I can tell you what I know, I am telling you because he won't believe me, but I know it to be true. All I can tell you is, she's trying to trap him, she wants him, and she's lying in order to keep him. I know this because I walked in on something I shouldn't have. That is all I can say."

* * *

As the day went on and the night drew closer, Theo's mind kept racing from his conversation with Lydia. He understood why Lydia did not want to betray Liam's trust by telling a close kept secret, but it left Theo more confused than ever. Lydia had told him that once Liam finally shared whatever information he was hiding, that it would all make sense and Theo would understand her warning, but until then, Theo was left in the dark to wonder what was happening. Of course, this really did not put Theo in the party mood, but he could not cancel on Cora, especially not last minute like this. So he got dressed and ready to go, waiting for Cora to pick him up. After getting dressed he went into the living room and saw Jordan sitting on the couch. "Does someone have a hot date tonight?" Jordan asked.

The comfort of hearing his brother joke made Theo smile, "Kind of, there is this stupid party that Cora wants me to go to, I do not really want to go, but I will do anything for Cora." Then, there was a knock on the door and Theo smiled, before answering it, knowing it was Cora, "Hey Cora, I am just about ready to go!"

Cora smiled and kissed Theo softly before walking in to his house and seeing Jordan. She grinned widely and walked over, throwing her arms around Jordan, " Jordan Parrish as I live and breathe! You're back! Its so good to see you again!" Cora knew Jordan from when Cora's brother, Derek, and Jordan were in high school, the two were very close friends, which extended to Cora as well.

"Its good to see you too!" Jordan said with a small laugh before hugging her back, "Never would I have though that when I came back you would be dating my brother. But I think you two suit each other."

She laughed and nodded, "All those years that you and Derek were friends, little did I know your brother was so sweet," She said and then took Theo's hand, "We will see you after the party! It was great seeing you again!"

Cora drove them to the party before the couple walked in. Theo had agreed to be the designated driver so Cora could drink and Theo would not, he did not mind that though, he did not like drinking all that much. Immediately, they made their way to their group of friends, which consisted of Lydia, Allison, and Scott McCall. "Hey everyone!" Cora said to her friends, and they greeted her back, including Lydia who did not seem to be acting out of the ordinary, like she did at lunch.

Then Liam walked up and greeted his friends and a polite nod to Theo as well. "Where is Hayden?" Allison asked Liam curiously, "It is not like her to miss party like this, I figured she would love to here to show off her boyfriend, who won the game. I know I am," she continued and kissed her boyfriend Scott softly.

"She, uh, she was not feeling it tonight, I do not think she is in the mood to drink so she figured she would just stay home. She did say hi to you all and she hopes you all will have a great time," Liam said, he seemed slightly nervous, in fact, it was the same nervous energy he had when Theo had seen him at the game. Liam hurriedly grabbed a drink and began to drink, "lets party!"

As the night droned on, for hours, Theo now understood what it was like to be one of the only sober people at the party. Cora paced herself, but now she was drunk, and continuing to drink with her friends, who were playing never have I ever. Theo did not mind though, he was glad she could be laid back and have some fun, but since he was not drinking, he decided no to play the game, and instead took a walk around the house. He ended up in the backyard, which was mostly filled with people making out, and some were even passed out. All but one that is, Liam was running around, clearly drunk, and singing. As he stumbled around, he almost fell into the pool. Theo rushed over to him, "Hey hey hey, you are going to fall in!"

Liam pushed Theo back, not aggressively, but just so Liam could get some space. "M-maybe I want to fall in," Liam slurred as he attempted to make eye contact with Theo. "In fact, I want to swim!" Liam pulled off his shirt before he jumped into the water.

Theo could not help but laugh as he saw Liam jump into the pool. "Liam, you are drunk, you probably should not be swimming, you'll drown or something, you should probably get out."

"If you are so worried for my safety, why don't you just get in too?" Liam asked and raised his eyebrow, looking up at Theo who was still standing outside of the pool.

Theo sighed before he chuckled a bit, "Fine" he pulled his shirt off and jumped into the water as well, "But don't go to deep, I do not need to be saving you from sinking in here ok?"

"I will do what I want," Liam replied and splashed Theo before breaking out into laughter.

"I can see that," Theo said and laughed as Liam began splashing him, "Stop that!" he laughed and then splashed Liam himself, breaking them out into an all out splashing war. It was like they were the only two people at the party as they kept swimming around and chasing each other in the water, splashing and carrying on. Soon, they got disoriented and bumped into each other, and there they were inches a part. To Theo, it was almost an exact copy of the night of the storm, and for second Theo felt like he was back in that moment. Then, just like that night, Liam leaned in and kissed Theo deeply. There it was, those fireworks that he got when they kissed, and as much as he hated to admit it, he did not feel that with Cora. However, the moment was ended as quick as it began when Liam pulled away and rushed out of the pool, running inside. Theo grabbed his shirt and ran after his friend, following upstairs and in to one of the bedroom. "Hey, its fine man you were drunk." he then walked in further and saw that Liam was in tears, Theo's eyes widened as he sat next to him, "Liam, I won't tell anyone, its not a big deal, no one saw."

Liam shook his head, struggling to speak. "Its not that," he said, seeming a bit more coherent than he was just moments before. "No no, its not that. Its Hayden. She is pregnant," Liam said as more tears began to stream down his cheek. Theo's heart stopped as he heard the news. When he processed what Liam had said, it all made since to Theo, this is what Lydia was warning him about. But still, what did Lydia mean? Is Hayden lying? Is she not really pregnant? How would Lydia know any of that? Whatever it was, Theo knew he had to figure it out, and save Liam from whatever lie Lydia had warned him about.


	9. Chapter 9

After Liam's confession at the party, not much happened. Embarrassed about spilling his secret and crying in front of Theo, Liam quickly called an Uber to pick him up and take him home. However, Theo knew it was not over for either of them yet. He knew that this was the thing that Lydia was referring to, and somehow Hayden was lying about it. But how? What did Lydia know that could prove whatever this lie is? Theo refused to sit and speculate what was going on. He decided to go back to the source itself, to hear it straight from her mouth. Therefore, when school started on Monday, he marched down the hallways, looking for Lydia. He saw her at her locker, talking to some guy, so he approached her and simply said, "Lydia, we need to talk, now."

She waved her hand, dismissing whatever piece of eye candy she was messing around with this week, before turning to look at Theo. " No, we don't need to talk, you want to talk," She replied as she began to pull her books out of her locker, "but I have the sneaking suspicion that you are not going to leave me alone until we do talk. Therefore for my sanity, I suppose you are right, we do need to talk."

"Cut the crap Lydia, you know this is about Liam," Theo snapped back, getting a bit irritated with her nonchalant tone at this serious matter. Why would she tell him if she was not going to take this seriously?

She sighed and rolled her eyes before looking at Theo. "Yes, I know, but rumors spread like wildfire Theo, which is why you need to keep your voice down." She then walked down the hall to an empty classroom, waving her hand for Theo to follow her. Once the door was shut she looked at him again, "So I am assuming he told you? I figured he would, alcohol is like truth serum to Liam."

Theo nodded to her, "He did, in a teary eyed confession, he told me that Hayden was pregnant, so are you telling me thats a lie? Is she not really pregnant? Because that lie is going to be really hard to keep up in a few months," he responded, hoping that Lydia could give him some answers to this situation.

She shook her head, " No, Hayden is pregnant, trust me, I know that for a fact," Lydia replied before looking out the door of the classroom to make sure no one was listening. " A while back, when Liam and Hayden were still together, I walked in on Hayden and Nolan at a party. I did not see much, but trust me it was intimate, and by the amount of passion between them, I doubt it was the first time they had done it. I wanted to tell Liam, but Hayden begged me not to, she said that she it was just a mistake and that she loved Liam. However, I could not keep the secret for long and I ended up telling Liam, which is why the two of them broke up at the lacrosse game a couple weeks ago."

Theo nodded as he listened, a little bummed. He remembered watching the breakup at the lacrosse game, and part of him thought that it might have been because of him, because of the night of the storm, because of the kiss. Nonetheless, he was still proud of Liam for standing up to Hayden like that, but he was still confused on what all of this meant. "Ok, so they broke up, and then got back together because she was pregnant. I am not seeing the lie here."

Lydia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "Use your brain Theo. Who did Hayden run to right after the breakup, before running right back to Liam?" she sighed and then leaned against the desk, "Hayden and Liam have only slept together once, and he was wearing protection, don't ask me how I know, the boy tells Scott everything. Now, protection can be faulty, but its rare."

Theo nodded as he began to put the pieces together in his head, "Nolan is the father isn't he? Thats why when they broke up she ran to him, because he is the father of her child."

Lydia nodded to him, "Nolan doesn't know, Hayden was planning on telling him after they dated for a few weeks, until she saw an opportunity to get Liam back. Liam had texted her saying that he wanted her side of the story in regards to her cheating on him, she used that chance to manipulate him into losing his trust in me and his other friends. She convinced him that I lied about seeing her with Nolan. Hayden also knew this was her chance to trap Liam, by saying her baby was his. Liam comes from a great family, not to mention he's a great guy, and Hayden wants him, now as the father of her child, and when they graduate, as a husband."

"Oy my God," He replied as he listened to all of it. None of this was familiar with him, but Lydia seemed to be handling it as if it were another day at Beacon Hills High. Perhaps Liam was right, and Theo did not understand what it was like for the rich kids of Beacon Hills. "So thats why you called me, because he won't trust you anymore."

Lydia nodded, "You are the only person that can get to him that he might believe, just plant the seed go doubt in him, he will come back to his real friends in time, and maybe we can save him from making the biggest mistake of his life."

* * *

Theo could not think after all that he had found out. With all this information stirring in his head, he could barely concentrate on school, so he checked himself out and went home, asking his mother for a mental health day, which she accepted. As he arrived home, he was surprised to see his mother at home, but then remembered she took a few days off work so she and Jordan could catch back up. "Hey Theo, sorry you're having a bad day," Jordan replied, as Theo walked in.

"Its not to bad, I am just stressed with work and school and all, I just needed a breather," He explained to his brother before joining Jordan and his mother in the living room.

"I hate to make your day worse Theo, but we do need to talk," His mother said as Theo sat down, "I am begging you not to go to the Talbot's party on Friday. You do not know this, but he is an evil man, please don't go."

Jordan then nodded, "You should hear the stories Derek has told me about him. Theo, we aren't from their world, Mr. Talbot is worse than you can imagine. He's a vile person and a snake. He is notorious for hiring young women to be the family maid, until he has to fire them because Mrs. Talbot grows jealous of his wandering eyes. He's a creep."

"Cora asked me to go and I said yes," Theo responded, not wanting to deal with this discussion right now, " I am not going to cancel on her with less than a week's notice. I do not care what Mr. Talbot has done, this is a charity event, I am sure whatever sleazy actions you have heard about will not happen on Friday. I know you are looking out for me, but I already committed to going."

* * *

Though Theo took a mental health day from school, he knew he could not miss work. Not just because of the money, but because of Liam. Whenever the Dunbar's were away, which was most of the time, Theo made sure never to call in to work, because he did not like Liam being in that house all alone. Even if they did not speak, Theo knew that Liam appreciated his presence. However, today there was also more at stake. Theo had a job to do, he needed to speak with Liam about Hayden and convince him somehow that Lydia and his other friends were on his side. As Theo worked, he noticed Liam's car pull in and he jogged to the driveway, "Hey Liam!"

"I do not want to talk about it," He mumbled as he marched towards the door.

"But we have to, you can't just tell me that and expect not to talk about it," Theo pleaded as he got in between Liam and the door, "We need to talk this out."

"No we don't!" Liam snapped and pushed Theo out of his way. "I do not need to do anything for you or with you! You get to know what I want you to know, I don't owe you anything else, you're the help!"

As much as it stung to hear Liam talk like that, Theo knew that it was not genuine and that it was coming from a place on anger and anxiety. "Liam, how do you know that this child is even yours?" he demanded, getting straight to his point, knowing this would lure Liam in to talking. "I am sure if you slept with her you would have used protection, you're smart."

Liam turned and looked at Theo, as if having heard this similar question from someone else. "Why would you say something like that? What has someone told you?"

Theo shook his head, refusing to throw Lydia under the bus, and he also knew if Liam knew that Lydia was talking to Theo, the Liam would shut Theo out too. "No one has said anything to me," he began and took a deep breathe, was he really going to throw himself into all of this drama? For Liam, of course he would. "I am trying to look out for you. I do not know Hayden, but I know you and you're a great guy, a girl would probably do some desperate things to keep you."

His rage and suspicion vanished, and Theo could see a twinge of fear in Liam's expression. " No, she loves me to much to lie to me."

"Maybe she loves you to much not to," Theo suggested, knowing that Hayden was not someone who deserved sympathy, but he knew in order to get through to Liam, he could not slander Hayden, even if it was true. "Perhaps she made a mistake, and was scared of losing you, so she lied. Of course, all of this could be explained if you slept with her without using protection."

"Well we did sleep together," Liam explained and looked down, "But we were using protection. But that doesn't mean anything, sometimes protection doesn't work, condoms can break. She is definitely pregnant, I was with her when she took the test."

Theo nodded as he listened, so far everything backed up Lydia's story. "You are right, protection can fail, but it is rare, like very rare. This almost seems as if, perhaps, this child was not even yours." Theo could see the anger appear on Liam's face when he said those words, but now Theo knew Liam needed to hear this. "Who did she run to when you broke up?" Theo said, more stern than he was before.

Liam shook his head, tears of sadness and anger welling up in his eyes. "No!" He yelled and clenched his fists, "That would mean she cheated on me! Hayden wouldn't do that, we've been together since the sixth grade, we love each other! Hayden didn't cheat, those were lies told by people who did not want us together!"

"But don't you want to be sure? Where there is smoke theres fire Liam, you have to admit this is all suspicious," Theo demanded, trying to get through to Liam as much as he could. Theo was surprised by how invested in this he was. He did not just feel like he was helping a friend, he felt something more, like an urgent need to save Liam. Theo then sighed, calming himself down as well as Liam, "Listen. I want you to be there fore Hayden, and your child, but this is not just your life, but a baby's life, you need to be sure."

"What do you suggest I do?" Liam asked as tears rolled down his cheeks, he was now that same fearful teenager he was at the party, and the night of the storm. "We will just have to wait until the child is born and get a paternity test."

Theo shook his head, "No, we don't. Ask her about this at the Talbot's gala on Friday, you will have me there, Scott, Lydia, Stiles, Mason, and everyone else there to back you up if you need it. Just ask her about this and see what she says and watch her body language, if she's lying, you'll know." After a moment of silence, Liam nodded in agreement to the plan. Theo sighed in relief. He did not know if the confrontation at the Talbot's gala would solve this problem, but the fact that Liam was going to ask proved he too had doubts about Hayden, meaning there was still hope to save him.

 **Hey everyone! I'd love feedback, so please leave a review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Before starting this chapter I would like to thank the Tumblr user lydiaphantom for making this AMAZING cover art for the story!**

It was Friday night, time for the party. Theo had an uneventful week, because he knew that there would be no changes in regards to Liam and Hayden until the party, where Liam promised to confront Hayden about her alleged lies. In honesty, Theo was not necessarily hopeful about the outcome of the discussion. Theo was well aware of the hold Hayden had over Liam, because Liam craved the security and safety that Hayden provided. Even though subtle actions from Liam had made it clear that he does not love Hayden anymore, the consistency of their relationship was a great comfort for him. Hayden could easily use her charm and leverage to convince Liam that all of this is a lie, after all no one had any proof of Lydia claims, not even Lydia herself. It was all just hearsay, but maybe, just maybe, Hayden would slip up, causing enough doubt for Liam to investigate this, in whatever way possible.

However, the situation with Liam has not been the only thing on Theo's mind this week. His mother's attempts to stop him from going to the gala have grown more dramatic and even more desperate. This desperation made Theo begin to wonder why his mother was so adamant against the gala, because it almost seemed like she was scared for him to go. Theo had asked Cora about Mr. Talbot to see if there was anything his mother was not telling him, but Cora simply reiterated what Theo had already heard. Nonetheless, Theo was still going to attend the gala with Cora, he had already committed and he did not want to cancel on her.

As Theo was attempting, and failing, to tie his tie, his mother walked into the room, "I suppose it is to late to try and change your mind again?" She asked and walked over to her son and began to fix his tie. "Just promise me you will be careful, and stay away from him."

"I will, I promise, but it would help if you could tell me whats so wrong with him," Theo asked again, he had no proof, but he believed that there was something more about the Talbot family that his mother was not mentioning. He could see it in her eyes everytime he asked, a sort of pain that she tried so hard to hide from her son. Whatever it was, it was clear she was trying to protect him, but he did not need this protection anymore, he needed to know what the danger was.

She sighed and looked down, about to speak before the doorbell rang, "That must be Cora, you should get going," she told her son and hugged him tightly. "Be a gentleman tonight ok? Open her door for her, make sure to treat her well, not that I thought you would do any different." She offered him a smile, but Theo could still see the pain in her eyes.

* * *

Cora had driven them to the party, seeing as Theo did not have a car. As they arrived Theo instantly knew this was not like anything he had ever been to. Saying he was out of his element would be an understatement, he was out of his world. As they walked in, Theo held his arm out and Cora looped her arm through. Theo was in awe of how beautiful Cora looked tonight, though he was not shocked. However, this only reaffirmed Theo's feeling of being out of place. Cora wore a white floor length gown that probably cost more than Theo would ever make in his life, as well as diamond earrings accompanied by a diamond necklace to match. Meanwhile, Theo's tux was rented, at a discount, from the local bridal store.

Everyone else seemed to be just as, if not more, dressed up as Cora. Theo had never seen so much expensive jewelry in one room before, let alone the cars the people had showed up in. Theo could not help but wonder how much these people spent on their outfits for this gala, as a opposed to the money they were actually donating to the cause. Even Theo had decided to donate this week's paycheck to the organization, which, ironically enough, was dedicated to helping underage mothers. Theo snapped back to reality, if thats what you could call this party, when Cora whispered to him, "Are you alright? You have not said a word since we arrived."

He blinked hard a few times before nodded to her with a smile, "Yes, I am just taking it all in. I never thought I would ever attend one of these parties unless I was the boy serving champagne to the guests," he said with a small chuckle. He enjoyed the fact that Cora did not care about his economic status, and she always seemed understanding of Theo.

She couldn't help but laugh as she pulled him on the dance floor to slow dance with him. "Well Theo, enjoy it, you are a guest here just like anyone else, and you get to dance with the belle of the ball," she teased as they danced together. She was smiling the entire time, and Theo returned her joy. However, something bothered him, it was the way she looked at him, so caring and loving, and he felt like he could not genuinely return that look. He liked her, he really did. How could he not? Beautiful, smart, kind, talented, Cora Hale was the perfect girl, but deep down, Theo feared he couldn't like her in the way she seemed to like him.

As they danced Theo could faintly see Liam and Hayden in the corner of the room. They appeared to be arguing, which, oddly enough, seemed to be a good sign. Liam must have gone through with the plan to confront Hayden, which would hopefully expose the truth. Soon, the argument escalated and ended with Hayden striking Liam on the cheek, with a gasp from everyone at the party. As Hayden stormed out, Theo looked at Cora, "Could you excuse me? I need to go talk to Liam." Theo had updated Cora on the situation with Liam, most of which she already knew since she was in his friend group, so he knew she would understand.

Theo walked over to where Liam was, and noticed tears in the male's eyes. Theo knew that these tears were likely not from the slap , but from the course of the argument. "Do not talk to me right now," Liam murmured to Theo, but with no sense of assertiveness.

"What happened?" Theo asked as he ignored Liam's request. Liam needed someone to talk to in this moment, whether he would admit it or not, and Theo knew he was probably the man for the job.

"Are you joking? Did you not just see her slap me and storm out?" Liam asked as he looked up at his friend and sighed. "I asked her about the rumors, and whether or not it was possible if this child was not mine. She insists that it is, and continued to call Lydia and you liars and manipulators. She even said when the child is born she will get a paternity test to prove it, and that if I felt so strongly about this then we could break up until the child is born."

Theo nodded as he listened, Hayden seemed to be doubling down on the claim that this child must be Liam's. Maybe she was not lying after all. "Oh I see," Theo stated, starting to think perhaps Lydia had misunderstood what she had seen. After all, it was no secret that Liam's friend group disliked Hayden, so perhaps a drunk Lydia saw Hayden and Liam together and mistook it as Hayden and Nolan being together, "So perhaps she is not lying then."

Liam shook his head, "No, you don't understand. I know her Theo, she was so quick with her defense, pleading that theres no way Lydia is right, and offended I would even believe such thing. She insisted that she and Nolan were not even that close, he was merely her rebound." Liam seemed to be stating these things in a skeptical way, which confused Theo, "But like I said, I know her. Anyone else would have gone about their day and apologized, but I saw something more. I don't know how, but I saw it in her eyes Theo, she lied straight to my face."

Theo was shocked to hear Liam come to such a conclusion. Liam was always wrapped around Hayden's finger, so why now was her grip on him fading? "So you don't believe her? So does that mean you two are done, or what?"

Liam sighed and shrugged, " I don't know, right now my parents are basically forcing me to stay with her and acknowledge the child, I would not be allowed to break up with her unless I get proof. But how am I supposed to prove that until the baby is born? I can't wait nine months Theo. Unless Hayden confesses, there is no way to prove that she's lying, which means I am stuck with her until we can get the paternity test."

Everything he was hearing shocked Theo. How could Liam's parents _make_ him keep dating Hayden? As Theo glanced around the room at the kids his age, and how they interacted, it once again became clear, he did not understand this world at all. Liam had been right all along, but Theo could not let Liam throw all this time away fake dating Hayden. Liam deserved to be free, and the baby's true father deserves to know. Before Theo could respond he noticed Liam's eyes widen before quickly rushing away. Theo did not get the chance to stop him because he heard a voice behind him say, "Hello Theo Raeken."

Theo turned around and saw a middle aged man, who he assumed to be Mr. Talbot because there was a resemblance to Brett. "Hello sir, you are Mr. Talbot right?" He asked and he looked around for Cora, trying to get some back up. He did not know what protocol was in situation like this. Theo spotted Cora across the room, and she appeared to be in a heated debate with Derek.

"Yes, I am Richard Talbot, pleasure to finally meet you," He replied as he put out his hand so Theo could shake it. "I apologize, you are probably wondering how I recognized you, its just, you are the spitting image of your mother. Did you know she used to work here some time ago?"

Theo raised his eyebrow as he shook the man's hand. Could this be what his mother was hiding? It almost had to be, because she did not mention having ever worked for the Talbot family. "I actually did not know that." Theo's mind raced with ideas as to what may have happened during her time working there that made her so weary of Mr. Talbot.

"You don't belong here," Mr. Talbot said out of nowhere, his former cordial tone now turning in to a dark and commanding one. "You will never belong here, I don't care if the Hale family is sponsoring you, or whatever is going on that brought you here, you do not belong in my house."

Theo took a few steps back as he heard this man he just met speak in such a negative tone to him, "I am sorry sir, I am afraid I don't understand. I simply came as Cora Hale's date that is all, I did not mean to offend you."

"Did you not hear me," the man said and gritted his teeth, "Get the hell out of my house, and go back home to your whore of a mother."

At those words, Theo saw red. His mother was the only person in his life that truly cared for him. With his father out of the picture, Theo's mom had been his sole provider and Theo would not let anyone disrespect her like that. He knew it was wrong, but his senses were dulled. Before he even knew what he was doing, Theo punched Mr. Talbot so hard that he fell back to the ground. Moments later, security escorted Theo out.

About half an hour later, after settling down, Cora came out and joined Theo. While waiting for the valet to get her car, Cora had Theo explain exactly what happened. "He really said that?" She asked in shock and horror, "He really called your mother a whore? What does he have against her?" Cora had ice she had gotten inside and gently placed it on Theo's arm because he had gotten a bruise from the security guards.

"Yes he really said that," Theo said, with his anger mostly subsiding, "My mother said he used to hire young girls and fire them when his wife got jealous of them. Perhaps my mother caused marital discord between him and his wife, but I still don't understand what that has to do with me? Why would he be so hellbent on kicking me out of his party?"

Cora thought for a moment, and then, as if a lightbulb went off, she looked up at him with a sympathetic glance, "Did he ever say how long ago she had worked for him? Like, how many years ago?"

Theo shook his head, his conversation with Mr. Talbot was brief and the adrenaline made most of it hazy, "No, he just said it was some years ago. However, I think it must have been before I was born because my mom usually told me where she worked at, just in case I ever had an emergency I knew where she was, but for as long as I can remember, she worked for your family when she had me, up until the fire a few years ago."

Cora nodded as she listened to the story, the look on her face suggested that she seemed to have figured this mystery out. "You mother is young for a mom, I remember my mother mentioning she was just 19 when she started working for us. Meaning if she worked for the Talbot's before working for us, then she was around 18 or 19. She was a young pretty girl working for the Talbots, and less than a year of being fired from their house, she had a son."

Theo nodded as she listened to Cora state facts that he already knew, but then, when he heard what she said last, he froze. He simply stood up, "Cora, I had a great time but I need to go home, now."

* * *

When Theo got home, he thanked Cora and walked inside. He noticed the kitchen light was on, so he walked in and saw his mother at the table surrounded by tissues, suggesting she had been crying. Before Theo could yell, or cry, or scream, she simply said, "Sit down, we need to talk." Theo nodded and sat down, knowing that his mother was about to confirm his own thoughts.

Theo was already welling up with tears, and his breathing became heavy, "You told me that he was in the army, you told me that he died in Iraq." It was all he could say. The only thing he thought about the entire way home was exposing his mom's lies, the lies he'd been told since he could remember.

"I was 18 years old, first job I ever had," She began, ignoring his accusations, and getting to her story, "The Talbot's were a respected family from all I knew, like I said, I was new, I did not know his reputation. All I knew was that he was the two had been married for a few years, and were probably a little less than a decade older than me. As soon as I started, I noticed the couple, Mr. and Mrs. Talbot were not happy together, spending much time not even speaking. He was so nice to me, charming, and he began to talk about his issues with his wife to me. It all happened so fast but eventually we started an affair. I am not proud of it, but he told me he was going to leave her, and that we could be together. I was young, and stupid, and no one had ever looked at me the way he did." She was stoic, showing almost no emotion as she told her story. "Mrs. Talbot found out she was pregnant the same day I found out about you. Mr. Talbot found out he was going to have two kids, but he couldn't have two wives. So naturally, I was the one let go."

Theo was in shock of this story. He did not know what to think, his mother was confirming his worst fears. "Why don't you get child support? Why hasn't he seen me? Do I not deserve to know my father? How could you let him get away free, when you and I were left, alone, all this time?"

"He told me I would never work again, he has sway amongst the families. Issues like this were part of an unspoken oath that the help took when they were hired to not reveal slanderous family secrets, even if it was true. If I were to take him to court, I would be betraying that oath, and no one would hire me for fear I would expose their secrets, or at least, thats what he told me," She explained and took her son's hand, "I kept the secret for you, he is a bad man, you were better off with no father, than him I assure you. I soon got hired at the Hale's and Thalia became a close friend and she assisted me with everything, and well, you know what happened there. Theo I am sorry, but I was young and scared, I did not know what to do."

Theo stood up from the chair, "I am mad at both of you, I grew up thinking my father was dead when he was actually living a relaxing life with all the money in the world, and you knew the whole time! You I can forgive in time, but him, i am going to make him pay."


	11. Chapter 11

Theo did not know what to do. His whole world was turned upside down, and, not to mention, he had still promised to help Liam. However, all Theo could do on this Saturday morning was lay in bed and think. His mind was heavy with the thoughts of his real father, and his two half-siblings he did not even know he had. Theo wanted Mr. Talbot to pay for abandoning him and his mother, but he did not know how. Simply paying child support was not enough. No. Mr. Talbot threatened to ruin his mother's life, and Theo wanted him to pay with more than just money. Theo wanted the Talbot's to publicly acknowledge him, therefore ruining their family's reputation, and then, Theo wanted to take them for all they could get.

Theo's train of thought was broken when he heard his phone buzz. He picked it up and noticed it was Liam. Since the gala was last night, there had been no lacrosse game this week, meaning that Liam was free, and there was no parties this weekend. Liam had texted Theo to meet him at his house to talk about some stuff. There it was, the other problem Theo had to worry about. He needed to help Liam now more than ever, because Theo insisted that Hayden's child should be able to know its real father.

Theo had gotten dressed and took the bus over to Liam's. Once he arrived he went out back where Liam was sitting out by the pool. "What did you want to talk about?" Theo asked as he sat down in the pool chair next to Liam's. It was refreshing for Theo to be out here without having to be cleaning or doing any kind of work.

"Are you joking?" Liam asked as he looked over at Theo, "Brett has been going around all over town talking about his bastard half brother. I figured you might want to talk about it. After all, you know way to much about my life, so I figured you might be comfortable talking to me about it." This was the side of Liam that Theo enjoyed being around. The side that was kind, and caring, the side that Hayden rarely acknowledged or accepted.

Theo sighed and leaned back in his chair, looking up at the clear blue sky. In truth, he did not really want to talk about it with anyone, not until he knew what to think of it, and what to do. However, Liam seemed so ready to listen, so Theo relented. "I guess, I am just confused on where to go from here. I know he is my father, so what now? Do I try and get to know him? Do I ignore it? Do I take him to court? I wasn't prepared for any of this."

Liam nodded as he listened to Theo. "Well those are all really good questions, and I don't really have an answer," Liam admitted, and Theo could tell that Liam was disappointed to not be of more help. "Nothing has to change if you don't want it to, the rumors will die down by next week and everything could turn back to normal, if you wanted it to."

"But what if I want it to change?" Theo asked Liam before looking over at him, "I just don't know how I want things to change. I guess I want my mom to be able to work less hours. I want a chance at going to college, I want to stop sitting alone at lunch everyday, I want," Theo paused as he and Liam locked eyes, and the world seemed to stand still for a minute, but Theo snapped out of it, "you always said that I don't understand what your life is like, I guess I want to understand."

"Thats an interesting answer, and honestly I understand. I do not know what I want in regards to anything either. I've been thinking, Hayden's lies need to be exposed, but assuming we accomplish that, where do I go from there? I am free from dating her, but then what? She's all I have ever known, I don't know if I want to be alone," Liam replied and then looked down at his feet.

Theo nodded as he listened, in truth they both seemed to be at a crossroads and maybe they could each help each other. "Well I guess we both decide what it is we really want."

* * *

Later that day, Theo had a coffee date with Cora, she had asked him that morning to go to coffee because she wanted to talk to him. Theo was not really in the mood to continue talking about his newly found father, but also, other than the gala, he and Cora had not been together recently. He still wanted to be the good boyfriend she deserved, so he met with her. They sat outside together, discussing little things, before finally Cora said, "Listen, I am not trying to ignore the elephant in the room. I know you had a life changing experience, and its going to make me seem horrible that I am doing this today, but I need to do it."

Theo raised his eyebrow in confusion when he found out that his father would not be their topic of discussion, "Do what? What are you doing?"

Cora smiled and grabbed his hand, tears forming in her eyes. "I am a better person to have known you Theo Raeken, and I look forward to the many years of friendship I hope we will share," she struggled through her tears, and Theo noticed the word 'friendship', "I have not been with anyone who has made me feel like I could be loved for more than just my family's money. That being said, I think you and I both know we need to call this off."

Theo's eyes widened at her words, she was breaking up with him, the day after such a traumatic realization. "Cora what are you doing?" He asked and squeezed her hand, not wanting to let her go, "Why do we have to break up? I L-"

She shook her head and interrupted him, "No, you don't, and thats alright," she said smiling through her tears. "You really don't know do you?" She asked as she looked at her now ex-boyfriend, "Yesterday at the gala we were dancing, and you left me alone on the dance floor, for Liam. I'm not mad, and I'm not upset, because it confirmed something beautiful, that I should have seen all along. You want Liam, thats why you are so invested in his drama with Hayden. You want him, and he wants you, and Theo, I want you two together."

"Cora, Liam is my friend, yes I care about him, but that is just because I have seen a deeper side of him, as I am sure you have as well, and I want to help him because he does not deserve this," Theo replied as he stared at their hands, still interlocked, " I love you Cora, not him."

"Can you look me in the eyes and say that?" She asked him, and there was a pause, Theo could not bring himself to do it. She laughed a bit, still crying softly, she lifted Theo's chin so their eyes could meet, "I am not going to be the girl who stops you from being with the guy that you really like. I am not going to be Hayden. I am not mad, I am happy for you, Theo. One of these days I will meet my person, as you have met yours, and the four of us will go on double dates." She leaned in to kiss his cheek softly before standing up, "Now don't be stupid, stop ignoring whats going on inside you." She turned to walk out.

Theo sighed and felt an emptiness as she walked away from him. As he thought to himself, she was right. He did like her, a lot, even in a romantic way, but not like Liam. He constantly thought about Liam, in ways he did not think about her, but still, he was going to miss her bright smile, and her loving words. "I am going to miss you Cora Hale," he said and she smiled at him as she turned back to him, "But you are right, you deserve more than to be the girl someone dates before finding their true love. You deserve to be someone's true love. Now go find him, and if anyone breaks your heart along the way, I'll kick their ass."

"I will miss you to, Theo Raeken, but it seems like I have picked a good guy to break my heart," She said with a smile, "Now stop sitting there and go to him."

* * *

Theo rushed onto the bus, spending the last bit of money he had in his pockets to go to his destination. The sun was well past set and it began to rain, hard. After getting off the bus, Theo ran down the street, in the pouring rain, thunder surrounding him. He knocked on the door, still dripping wet, and Liam answered, "Theo what the hell? Why are you back? And this storm is going to be bad, you should be home!" He could sense Liam's anxiety about the storms, so Theo did not respond but instead grabbed Liam's hand and pulled him in for a deep kiss. He felt Liam tense up a bit before finally relaxing into the kiss, and for both of them, the world was silent for a moment. Then Liam pulled back, "Theo aren't you-"

"Just shut up," Theo whispered before Liam nodded pulled Theo in, closing the door behind them, before crashing his lips against Theo's once more.

 **Another hot mess chapter but oh well.**


	12. Chapter 12

It was very easy for the two boys to get lost in the moment. As they had their arms tightly around each other, kissing one another, everything that had been holding them back seemed to melt away in this moment. Theo was sure they could both feel it. This sense of tranquility, the feeling that this was what was supposed to happen the whole time. However, like most good things, this moment would end quickly and they'd be forced to snap back to reality. A loud thunder boomed around them and Liam pulled away quickly. "Theo I-I am sorry."

Theo nodded, his heart sinking as he realized that fleeting moment was now lost forever, and the thunder brought them back to real life. A real life where, apparently, Liam still did not want to be with Theo. Perhaps that special feeling was not mutual as Theo had thought, but still, he was glad he tried. "No, I am sorry, me walking up and kissing you like that, it wasn't, cool, i can go."

Thep turned to leave but he felt Liam grip his hand, "No, thats not what I mean," Liam replied as he pulled Theo to be closer to him again, "I want you here. I did not realize it until tonight, when this storm started coming in and I was terrified and i was wishing that you were here with me like you were that one night. And yes, i want to kiss you, i want to kiss you a lot, but this storm has my anxiety to high, so for tonight i just want you here, your arms around me, and mine around you."

Theo grinned and wrapped his arms around Liam, and held him tightly. That moment of tranquility was back, and he hoped this meant it would never end. Whatever came next, he knew that they would face it together. "Last time i was here you kissed me, so i guess we are even," Theo teased as he pulled back from the hug and the boys made their way into the living room.

"Listen, i was in the closet, even to myself," Liam chuckled as he sat down next to Theo on the couch, cuddling in to him, "But i guess it doesn't matter how deep in the closet I am, when a soaking wet hot guy heroically rescued my dog, the feelings just took over." Liam smiled and closed his eyes, relaxing in to Theo. Then, he shot up and turned to Theo, "What about Cora? She is my friend, I am not going to be part of an affair."

Theo liked seeing how Liam was loyal to his friends, it was an aspect of Liam that Theo was glad to see. He did not think anyone from Liam's world cared about anything other than money, but Liam, Cora, and Lydia proved Theo wrong. "We broke up earlier today. She told me that she could not be with me, because it was clear i cared so much about you." He still felt bad for Cora, of course he did not knowingly lead her on, but he was here with Liam, and she was alone.

"Good, good, i couldn't do that to my friend," Liam responded as he began to start pacing, much to Theo's confusion, "But what about Hayden? Our parents still want us together?" Liam continued frantically. "Oh my god, my parents! They are going to flip when they find out i am in love with a boy, let alone the help, no offense, Theo, what the hell are we going to do?"

Theo stood up and grabbed Liam's hands, "We are going to enjoy tonight, you are stressed enough as it is with the storm, do not make it worse by trying to solve all of your problems tonight." He kissed Liam's forehead softly and he felt the boy's muscles relax a bit. Theo sat back down on the couch and pulled Liam to sit down next to him. However, Theo had to admit he was worried as well. He knew the situation with Hayden needed to be resolved, but after that, he knew Liam's parents would never accept him.

"You are right," Liam nodded as he cuddled back up to Theo, squeezing his arm tightly for comfort.

* * *

The next morning Theo woke up, his arms wrapped tightly around Liam, and vice versa. He let out a content sigh, and smiled a bit as he looked at Liam sleeping. This view could almost make Theo forget about the storm of problems that surrounded them. This morning, they could just be two kids in love, but all that would change when they walked out the door. So, needless to say, Theo was not in any hurry to leave. As he laid there, Theo began to feel Liam's grip tightening, and soon felt Liam squirming a bit as well. His breathing increased as he was almost shaking at this point, "Liam? Liam, wake up!" Theo said to him.

Liam kept breathing heavily and began to let out small sounds as if trying to form words but failing. Eventually the words become more clear, "No, please no. I tried as best I could, please don't leave." Theo kept trying to wake Liam up, but it was in vain. However soon Liam sat up quickly as he woke up, sweating now and breathing heavily. He wiped away the tears from his eyes.

"Liam, are you alright?" Theo asked and hugged Liam close.

Liam broke free of the hug angrily and stood up, marching away from the couch, "I am fine ok?! I don't need you coddling me like i am some sort of child!" The way he spoke was a glimpse of the Liam that Theo knew before. The angry and insensitive Liam that did not want anything to do with Theo, and it hurt Theo to see that side of Liam come back out.

"Liam," Theo replied softly as he simply looked at Liam. "All i am trying to do is help you."

The anger clearly vanishing, Liam let out a sigh, then he sat back down on the couch, "I get nightmares, about my parents leaving, its been like this since i was a kid. They would just leave. Sometimes dad would tell me it was because my grades were bad or i did bad in a lacrosse game. Of course, now i know it was because of work, but as a kid, i didn't know any better. Its fine, i usually deal with them on my own. I would get some ice cold water and just relax."

"Well now you do not have to deal with them alone," Theo said and kissed Liam's cheek before he stood up and went to the kitchen, coming back with a glass of ice cold water. Theo knew that this thing with Liam, whatever it was, was still new. Even with a triumphant kiss in the rain, forming a relationship did take time, so he wanted to help Liam any way that he could.

"You are always trying to solve my problems," Liam told Theo as he took a sip of the water, "Do you think maybe thats because you don't want to deal with your own problems? You know, i have a lot going on, but I do want to help you also Theo. We can get through your problems and my problems together." Liam took Theo's chin to move his head so they could look in the eyes, "Promise me you will let me help you with you Mr. Talbot."

As Theo looked in to Liam piercing eyes, he nodded. Truthfully, he was taking on Liam's burdens as a way to distract him from his own. However, Theo could not run from his new father forever. He opened Pandora's box at the gala and there was no going back. The truth can't be untold. Theo's life was going to change somehow with his father's identity revealed, he just did not know how. "I promise, but in truth, I have no idea what to do. What can I do?"

"Listen, Mr. Talbot is a scumbag if i have ever seen one," Liam said with mischievous grin, "But he is your father, like it or not, and Brett and Lori are your siblings. You said yourself that Hayden's child deserves a chance to know its real father, and i think you deserve that same chance too, even if Mr. Talbot turns out to be just as bad as you think, you need to try."

Maybe Liam was right, after all, the Talbots were Theo's family, and perhaps they weren't all bad. He would just have to find out for himself. "Look at you, giving me great advice, when did you get so smart?" Theo asked teasingly, to try and divert the conversation away from the serious topic.

"I have always been smart, you just wouldn't shut up about fixing my problems long enough to notice," Liam joked back and laughed to himself, "Don't worry, thats why i appreciate you so much. Such a kind heart, those are hard to come by nowadays it seems. Everyone wants something."

"All i want is you," Theo said and leaned in to kiss Liam again deeply before he pulled back, "So does this make us boyfriends, or?" Theo had to ask, with that same teasing smile on his face. He now felt comfortable to joke around this way with Liam. They both were able to show their softer sides to one another.

"Technically I am still dating Hayden, besides, you think one kiss and a sleepover is enough to seal the deal with me? I don't think so," Liam replied with a smirk as he leaned in, inches away from Theo's face, "Keep kissing me and maybe i will make up my mind."

Theo grinned and pecked Liam's lips softly, "Gladly" he whispered before kissing Liam deeply and pulling him down on the couch.

 **Hot mess, I know, but i wanted to post an update, but with school keeping me busy, writing plot heavy chapters is hard, so heres fluff.**


	13. Chapter 13

It was back to reality for Theo and Liam. They had their triumphant night together where they professed their love and cuddled on the couch together, but unfortunately life did not stop for them. Eventually it was Monday once again, which meant Theo had to return to school and work, where he would have to deal with real issues. Theo kept a low profile in school, trying to avoid the stares and snickering he was receiving as a result of the revelation of his father's identity. Theo and Liam agreed it was best, for now, that they not be blatantly be seen together, but Theo wanted nothing more than to be with Liam, who always made him feel better.

However, like all bad things, the school day eventually ended, which meant back to work for Theo. Today was different though, because apparently Mrs. Dunbar was back in town, which meant Theo needed to be on his A game, but it also meant no talking to Liam, at least not freely. Theo remembered his mother's advice from when he first got the job, just keep your head down and don't speak unless spoken to. So, Theo went along with his usual duties of trimming the hedges and mowing the lawn, before making his way out back to clean the pool.

When he went to the pool area, he saw Mrs. Dunbar sitting alone at the table on the patio. She was wearing a bright yellow and white sundress, with sunglasses to match, and she sipped on an iced tea. If Theo didn't already know she was a famous fashion designer, she could have passed for a 1950s housewife. As Theo began to clean the pool she turned to him, and he gave a respectful, nod. He hoped that would be their only interaction, but those hopes were squashed when he heard her call, "Theo, come sit with me for a moment."

He nodded as he set down the equipment and took a seat across from her at the table. "Yes ma'am," He said respectfully, "Is there something I could help you with?"

She took a sip of her tea before setting the class back down on the table. She then pulled off her sunglasses, revealing the same blue eyes that Liam had. "Well i wanted to talk to you about something. Well a couple of things really," She replied as she sat back in her chair. Instantly, Theo could tell that she had a hidden motive behind the conversation, and that made him nervous. "First of all, I heard about Mr. Talbot," her tone getting a bit softer, "I have met your mother a handful of times while attending parties at the Hale's, and it breaks my heart to know that monster spurned her in such a way. If you are planning on taking him to court for child support, I offer you my lawyer, Courtney Hewitt, best lawyer in the state, I talked with her, she wont charge you."

Theo was shocked by this offer, because this is not where he thought this conversation was going. Talking with Mrs. Dunbar revealed where Liam's personality came from. They both had a cold exterior, but it was clear there was a kind heart in both Liam and his mother. "I don't know what to say. My mom and I aren't sure what we are going to do yet," Theo replied, then, realizing he hadn't thanked her, quickly added, "But that you so much for your offer."

"Of course, a man owes it to his child to support them," She told him with a small nod as she picked up her glass and took another sip. Something told Theo that she meant more then she let on in that sentence, but he could not figure it out. "Besides, Liam tells me that you two have become good friends since you began working here," She continued, which made Theo nervous, what if she did not want Liam befriending the help? Then she sure as hell wouldn't want them dating, even if this whole Hayden situation could be fixed. "Thank you," she said in a genuine way, as she smiled, "For looking after him while I have been gone. He's almost an adult but a mom can't help but worry for her son, especially with the storms that have rolled in lately, Liam hates those. But he told me you have kept him company."

"He has helped me a lot too," Theo replied, wanting her to know that they had actually become friends, which might help their case in the future.

She smiled back at him, but then raised her eyebrow. "I am sure you have met his girlfriend Hayden?" Theo simply nodded, more confused on her motives now. "Tell me, have you heard anything about her? What do you think about her, from the point of view of Liam's friend? I am sorry to pry so much, but she is the mother of my future grandchild."

Theo could tell she was skirting around what she really wanted to know. Why else would she be asking Theo about Hayden? Sure she has met Hayden and knows more about her than Theo does. Something told Theo that Mrs. Dunbar might be just as suspicious of Hayden as he was. Theo knew she could be helpful in exposing the truth, or at minimum, letting Liam break up with Hayden. However, Theo decided to keep his mouth shut until he talked to Liam. "To be honest, I don't know her well, and i am not one for rumors. I try not to get involved in the personal lives of families as influential as the Romero's."

Mrs. Dunbar simply nodded, but in such a way that Theo was sure she knew he was holding something back. Instead of questioning him, though, she simply smiled. "Thank you for indulging me. You have done a good job, and you earned a break, go head home early. Or, better yet, go up and see Liam, he is in his room."

Theo nodded, thanked her once again, before heading upstairs to Theo's room. He had briefly seen it on the night of the first storm to get changed but he did not pay much attention to it. Now that he was up here, it looked how he expected it to, messy. Not the mild "lived in" kind of messy, but the normal "a teenager lives here" kind of messy, but it only made Theo laugh. The room was massive though, and Theo looked around for Liam, but did not see him, so he figured maybe his mom was mistaken and he had left, but then Liam came out of his closet with just some swim trunks on. "Oh, hey Theo, I was just about to go swimming to spend time with my mom, whats up?"

Theo almost forgot to reply as he admired the shirtless Liam that was before him. Up until this moment, Theo had been to busy trying to help Liam to notice just how attractive he really was. Liam's many years in sports showed, and Theo had to snap himself out of admiring his new secret boyfriend. "Your mom let me go home early, and said I should come up and say hi." Theo said with a small smile, knowing that with his mom here, their secret romance needed to be toned down, "She is really nice, she mentioned you talk to her about me?" Theo raised his eyebrow with a small smile as he looked at Liam.

Liam tried to hide it, but Theo could tell he was blushing. "Well yeah, she can know that we have become friends. Unlike my dad, my mom actual tries to keep track of whats going on in my life while she is gone. What all did you two talk about anyway?" Liam was trying to change the subject, but Theo let him because he needed to fill Liam in.

"Well she offered me her lawyer, in case i wanted to take Mr. Talbot to court," Theo began, getting that out of the way, he still was not interested in talking to anyone about Mr. Talbot. "But then she began questioning me about Hayden. It was very indirect, but I think she may not trust Hayden either. I think we should capitalize off of it and tell her our suspicions too. Maybe she would let you break up with Hayden."

Liam sat down on his bed and sighed, shaking his head. "No, my Dad is the one who would decide that, and he would not believe us."

"Well thats why your mom can speak to him on your behalf!" Theo suggested, but he could tell by Liam's face that Liam did not want to do that.

"You don't understand. My dad does not care about what my mom thinks, we don't have proof and mom trying to convince my dad without proof would only get her and me in trouble," Liam replied as he plopped down to lay back on his bed. "It would solve nothing, and make my dad angry."

"In trouble? Your mom would get in trouble?" Theo asked curiously, how could a grown successful woman get in trouble with her husband?

Liam sighed, simply staring at the ceiling, "Mom was an up and coming fashion designer, dad came from old money. He gave her start up money in exchange for 55% in her company. That makes him the majority owner, therefore the person who controls my mom's job. Thats what I have been trying to tell you this whole time, things work differently in families like mine. Dad controls the two things she loves, me and her job. She can't go against him. So we don't tell her, not without proof."

"Ok, so we need to get proof then," Theo said as he sat down next to Liam on the bed.

"Gee, good thinking, its not like we have been trying to get proof this whole time," Liam sarcastically replied as he sat up, "Got any ideas? Because the only thing i can think of is to wait until the baby is born."

Theo sighed, not wanting to wait that long, he knew that he and Liam still had other battles to win in regards to their relationship, so he wanted to get this Hayden situation resolved as soon as possible. Then he got an idea, "Who all knows that Hayden is pregnant?"

"Hard to say, rumors spread quickly, but then Lydia began threatening people with an inch of their life not to say anything. So i would say half the school knows," Liam answered and raised his eyebrow, "Why?"

"The only other person who could definitively tell us who the father is, would be Nolan. If he knew that Hayden was pregnant, it would have to at least cross his mind that he could be the father," Theo explained, trying to piece together a plan.

Liam nodded as he listened, "Yeah, but Nolan hasn't said a thing, he hasn't even been acting weird at lacrosse practice. Surely he would want to know if he's the father too, whether it be for child support reasons, or if he genuinely wants to be in his child's life."

"Exactly, but to our knowledge he has not said anything. Even if he and Hayden are speaking privately, I don't think he would buy in to her lies. So why is he so silent about everything?" Theo asked, already knowing the answer to his own question, "Because he doesn't know! So, if we tell him, maybe he could at least give your family and everyone else enough doubt that you're not the father. Hayden would be under so much pressure by everyone that she would have no choice but to come clean!"

Liam nodded as he listened, "There is a lot of holes in your plan, but at least its a starting point. We can talk to Nolan after practice tomorrow, i can ask mom to give you the day off so you can be there, I don't think I could confront him alone." Then, there plan was set, and all they could do was wait. Theo stood to leave when Liam began speaking again, "So we have a game plan for that, but what about Mr. Talbot? I know you don't want to talk about it, but Theo, you can't ignore that forever, and i want to be there for you."

Theo nodded and leaned in to kiss Liam softly, knowing Mrs. Dunbar was outside so the risk was small. " I think i know what I am going to do about him. Something you and your mom said that really helped me out. I have to go."

* * *

Later that night, after getting home, Theo had to have the hard conversation that revealed what Theo's decision about Mr. Talbot was. He knew his mom would not like it, but it was his life and he had to do what he needed to do. "Mom, I have made up my mind," He told her at dinner, with Jordan present as well. They both nodded and waited for Theo to continue. "A parent owes it to their child to be there for them, but I think i owe it to Mr. Talbot to try and be there for him too, if not for him, but for Brett and Lori, who are my siblings now."

"What do you mean by that?" Theo's mom replied as she stopped eating.

"I want to," Theo paused, knowing this would hurt his mother, but also knowing he had to do it. "I want to stay with them. A few nights every week, at least to get to know them. I haven't asked Mr. Talbot about this but I am sure he would prefer this over us taking him to court. I just want to know him, and Brett and Lori."

Theo's mom clenched her fists, not out of anger, but what seemed to be out of sadness and nervousness. She then released the clenching with a deep breathe and she nodded. Surprisingly there were no tears or any sense of disappointment, "If that is what you think is best, then of course. I won't keep you from him. Just be careful Theo, their world is so much different than ours. Just know, no matter what, that I am here for you."

"And me too," Jordan said and patted Theo's shoulder with a smile. In truth, Jordan's opinion meant a lot to Theo as well, since Jordan had become almost a big brother to Theo. So Theo felt better about his decision knowing that his family would support him.

 **I know this chapter was boring but it sets a lot of foundation for the next few chapters! Hang with me! Sorry it took so long to update, school and the holidays really got to me. Also, thank you for all the kind reviews, i read everyone of them! Feel free to leave more reviews!**


	14. Chapter 14

As Theo walked in to school, he almost could not believe how much of his life has changed so recently. He and Liam were now friends, well more than that actually, not to mention Theo had met his real father. However, despite these changes, the rest of the school seemed to be going on with business as usual, as if nothing had changed at all. In fact, everything was so normal that Theo himself almost forgot anything had changed. He went to class, no one spoke to him, and he aced his tests. Business as usual. Even Liam and Hayden were walking together, amicably in the hallway, just like normal. Theo tried not to be bitter about it, because he knew this was just Liam's act, but still, it hurt Theo to know that he could't be the one to walk with Liam in the hallway.

It wasn't until lunch time that Theo was reminded that things, were in fact, very different than before. After getting his tray of food, Theo went to go join Corey at their usual table but when he arrived, he was shocked to see that Cora, Stiles, and Lydia were all sitting there with Corey. Theo took his seat, next to Corey and across from Cora. Oddly enough, things did not feel awkward between them, because they both were genuine when they said they wanted to remain friends, Theo just wished she could find someone, like he had found Liam. "What a nice little reunion," Theo said to the group of people, who usually did not sit with him at lunch.

"Well this is the best time to get the team together, sans Liam, to discuss operation Thiam," Lydia replied with a small smile, "Yes, Corey filled us all in on your little ship name."

"How kind of him," Theo said sarcastically, but he could not help and smile a bit. "But operation Thiam? What is operation Thiam?"

"Stiles came up with the name," Cora answered as she looked back at Liam and Hayden's normal table, to see the couple together. "Its whatever plan we have to break those two up, and get you and Liam together. Liam told us you have a plan to confront Nolan?"

Theo nodded before he started eating his lunch. "Yeah, we want to see how much he knows. Liam and I don't think he would let Hayden lie about the baby's father if he suspected it was his, so if he doesn't know, Liam and I are going to tell him," Theo explained, realizing their plan sounded stupid out loud, "Perhaps he will be our new recruit for operation Thiam."

"That could be helpful, if he believes you, which, I suppose, is where i come in," Lydia announced as she stood up from her seat, "If Nolan hears this rumor before you confront him, then maybe he will feel like it is more believable. If the whole school believes the rumor, then he finds out Liam believes it to, Nolan will at least want to know the truth. I am off to go spread the word."

Theo understood Lydia's point. The power of rumors and word of mouth was more powerful than more people were willing to admit. Theo knew that first hand due to the rumors spreading about him being Mr. Talbot's son. Of course, these rumors were true, which proved, where there was smoke, theres almost always fire. Theo prayed that perhaps Nolan would realize that as well.

* * *

Theo had gotten off work today, thanks to Mrs. Dunbar's kindness, but he suspected it was more than just kindness. Mrs. Dunbar knew, or at least suspected, more than she let on, so she had to know that Theo was off work to help Liam in some way. As Theo watched the lacrosse team practice, he could not help but feel anxious. Not just about the Nolan situation. Even if that failed, their plans to expose Hayden weren't doomed. Instead, Theo was nervous about tonight, because today would be the first night that Theo spent at the Talbot's. With the help of Mrs. Dunbar's lawyer, Attorney Hewitt, Theo sent a letter to the Talbot explaining that before he decided to sue for child support money, he wanted to get to know the Talbot's first, and the Talbot family accepted. Theo was not really sure what he wanted out this deal, of course he wanted his mother to get the money she deserved, but perhaps Theo wanted to get to know his new family. After all, Brett and Lori were his half-siblings, and Mr. Talbot was his father. Maybe Theo wanted to get to know them before the drama of a court case ruined that possibility forever.

Theo had to banish those thoughts from his head, because as lacrosse practice was wrapping up, he knew that he and Liam would need to confront Nolan, and Theo wanted to be on his A game. As the players walked off the field, Liam pulled Nolan aside, and Theo went down to join them. When he arrived, it was clear that Nolan was nervous and shaken up. Clearly he heard the rumor and thought Liam was mad at him. "Calm down, we aren't going to hurt you," Theo said as he joined the lacrosse players.

"Listen, I have no idea how those rumors started but there is no way that child is mine, Hayden and i only had a short fling when you two broke up," Nolan replied, keeping a safe distance between him and Liam.

"This will be easier if you don't lie to us," Liam responded angrily. Theo knew that Liam already did not like Nolan, since they were both going to be in competition for Captain after Scott McCall graduated, not to mention the affair with Hayden. However, Theo himself could not judge Nolan to much, after all, he and Liam were technically doing the same thing that Hayden and Nolan did. "I know what you did that night at the party, and maybe even more times after that."

Nolan was clearly guilty, that much Theo knew, but he wandered how much he would protest in order to defend Hayden's reputation. After all, if he cared about her, he may want to protect her, but on the other hand, breaking up Liam and Hayden would allow him to be with Hayden. "We are not here to cause trouble with you. We just want you to be honest and to think. How do you _know_ this child isn't yours?" Theo asked.

Nolan sighed and looked down, contemplating his next move. "Hayden and I have been sleeping together for over a year." He admitted, with a clear expression of guilt. However, Theo only cared about Liam, so he looked over and could see Liam turn pale with shock and sadness. Liam was not in love with Hayden, but being cheated on still had to hurt. "It started as just a one night stand at a party, she did not want to do it again. However, things just kind of spiraled from there. I knew it was wrong, but I-i began to fall for her."

Theo could not imagine how anyone could fall for Hayden, after all he had heard, she seemed horrible, but perhaps her horrid personality stemmed from the fact that she was guilty, and in love with someone else. "Why didn't she just break up with Liam? She wasn't pregnant then, there was nothing forcing her to stay with him."

"Are you joking? The Dunbars and the Romeros practically arranged their marriage, even then she was stuck with Liam, no offense, she could not break it off, thus the secrecy," Nolan explained and in the moment Theo felt pity for both of them. It seemed like Hayden and Nolan were in the same position and he and Liam this whole time. "But I don't see how this baby could be mine, we almost always used protection."

"Almost? It only takes once, dumbass," Liam snapped back and crossed hims arms. Theo could tell Liam was feeling a lot of different emotions, including anger, but also self loathing. "Hayden and i only did it once and we did use protection. This child is yours Nolan, and she wants me to raise it, without you ever getting to know your own kid."

"What do you want me to do? There is no way to prove anything until the child is born anyway, but thanks for the heads up," Nolan answered, clearly unsure about how he was supposed to respond.

"Talk to her, appeal to whatever relationship you two had," Theo replied, hoping Nolan would agree to at least try. If she felt the same way for him as he clearly felt for her, she may actually listen to him. "Liam and I are betting that she knows the baby is yours, if you can convince her, maybe she will come clean and you two can be together."

Nolan thought for a moment, and then nodded, "I will try, but i can make no promises. Thank you, I guess, for talking to me. I have to go." Neither Theo nor Liam stopped Nolan from leaving. Even if he was lying, there was no way to know, so they had to trust he would keep his word.

* * *

Later that day, it was time. Theo was going to spend his first night at the Talbot home. He had packed a bag of somethings he would need, before getting on the bus and taking it to the richer part of town. After getting off the bus, he walked to the Talbot estate, trying to prepare himself for going in and seeing Mr. Talbot again, something he had not done since the night of the gala. He took a deep breathe and knocked on the door. The door was answered by a young blonde housekeeper, typical of Mr. Talbot, but then Theo realized he recognized her. "Erica Reyes?" he asked in shock. Erica had gone to school with Theo, and was in his grade, but when her boyfriend Boyd was found dead, she dropped out not to long after. No one knew why or what happened, but here she was, working at the Talbots.

She nodded somberly, without any sort of emotion. Of course, she and Theo had not been friends at school, but they shared a silent bond as part of the weird crowd, and they had even been lab partners Freshman year. Also, Erica had been kind of acquaintances with Cora, both were on the soccer team together, and when Cora would pick fights with the sexists guys at school, Erica usually backed her up. "Right this way Mr. Theo." She replied, without any since of familiarity. Theo promised himself he would get her story from her later. He was also shocked to be called Mr. Theo, but he had to remember in this house, he wasn't the help, he was the son of the head of the household. She led him upstairs down a large hall of rooms, and Theo tried to memorize how he got here, knowing he would get lost in the palace that the Talbot's called home. She stopped and led him in a nicely furnished large room, "This is your bedroom, the bedroom across from you is Ms. Lori's and the one next to you is Mr. Brett's. After getting settled in, Mrs. Talbot would like to see you out in the patio."

Theo was astounded to see the once feisty Erica act to tame. This was the same girl who who knocked Gabe flat on his ass when he called Cora a slut. However now, she was acting to emotionless, almost robotic. As Erica turned to leave, Theo called out of her, "Wait, Erica. What happened? Where did you go, and why are you working here?" He needed to know, even if he did not know why.

Without turning around, Erica replied, "There is a lot about this world you don't understand. Now, do not keep Mrs. Talbot waiting for to long." She then walked out and made her way down the hall.

As Theo made his way down to the patio, his mind raced about Erica. Her family was not part of the rich, but they were not poor either. They owned a small restaurant chain that was popular in this area of the state, so they were in Beacon Hills' small middle class. The Reyes were respectable in the city, so if they would have played their cards right, they could have made their way in to the upper class. So there appeared to be no reason why Erica would have to drop out and become a live in maid for the Talbot's, which reinforced Theo's theory thats something more happening.

Regardless of Erica's situation, Theo had his own family issues to deal with. He made his way to the patio to see Mrs. Talbot sitting there, drinking, what appeared to be some sort of alcohol. The contrast between Mrs. Talbot and Mrs. Dunbar was amazing. Mrs. Talbot was wearing a dark blue dress, with her her blonde hair pulled back tightly in a bun. She turned to see Theo, and she smiled ever so slightly, "Theo, please sit."

 **I know this chapter is kind of boring, but its setting some stuff up! Also, I know the Erica thing seems random and i have a plan but i am unsure if i am going to go through with it, so some feedback on that would be appreciated! Lastly, my sincerest apologies for waiting so long to update, school is killing me!**


	15. Chapter 15

Theo sat down across from his newfound step-mother. It was awkward for him to think of her as that, after all, step families usually happen after your parents get a divorce, but that was not the situation here. Theo's mother was the other woman, a home-wrecker, and he was the product of that. He didn't harbor any negative feelings toward his mother about that, but that didn't mean that Mrs. Talbot didn't. "Welcome to our home," the woman said, in the same cold monotonous tone that was common among the upper class.

Theo still could not get over the differences between Mrs. Talbot and Mrs. Dunbar. They were both strikingly different, but they had one thing in common, neither of them were truly saying what they were thinking. This seemed to be a trait that was common amongst the upper class, not showing all your cards. Perhaps Theo could learn something from that. "Thank you for welcoming me in to your home, Mrs. Talbot."

"Of course," she offered a smile but her voice was full of ice, however Theo didn't think it was directed at him. By the way she was speaking, she seemed to just be a cold woman. "I want to make one thing clear. I hold no resentment towards you or your mother for her actions all those years ago. We have all grown since then, and besides, you were an unwilling participant in the twisted game we call life. I am sure you would not have chosen to be born a bastard."

Theo was taken aback, and truthfully, he had no idea how to respond to her. He needed to be respectful, but he did not want her to get away with her passive aggressive comments. "Thank you Mrs. Talbot, I appreciate the generosity," he told her through gritted teeth, "And I would like to make it clear that I do not hold any resentment for your husband's actions against my mother."

The woman turned to look at Theo, her dark soulless eyes staring right at him. "Enjoy your stay, Mr. Raeken, I trust it won't be a long one." She then turned her attention to Erica, who was a few feet away, sweeping off the patio, "Erica," she called out. When Erica turned around, Mrs. Talbot pushed her glass of wine off the table, causing it to shatter on the ground, "Clean this up," she ordered before standing up and marching inside.

Erica quickly nodded and got down on her knees, sweeping up the shards of glass. Theo looked down at her, mortified to see the feisty and powerful girl he once knew, demean herself to cleaning up a mess that was clearly made just to humiliate her. "Erica, what the hell? Why are you putting up with that?" He asked and watched as Erica continued working. "Erica, what is up with that woman?"

She clenched her fists and threw down her broom in a fit of anger, "You want to help me Theo? Then stop asking questions!" She snapped, and oddly enough, it made Theo smile. The Erica that he always knew was in there. She took a deep breathe and resumed her work, "My apologies sir."

"Erica," Theo said back to her, still astounded by her new attitude. What happened to her? More importantly, what is up with this household? "I'll leave you alone, just please, tell me what the hell is up with Mrs. Talbot."

She sighed and looked over her shoulder, then back at Theo, "She doesn't want you here, none of them do. A bastard kid in the house is an embarrassment to them, the only reason why they are acknowledging your existence is because they don't want you taking Mr. Talbot to court for that child support. The only thing worse than a bastard kid, is a bastard kid going public, with a court case, which will be in the papers, and all over town. Aside from that, she's also just a raging bitch," Erica told him, a small smile spreading on her face as she said that last part. "If I were you, I would get the hell out of here. This isn't a home, its a war zone."

"A warzone?" Theo asked in shock, but as he thought about it, that was how he might describe Liam's life too. Constant obsession about looks and appearances, one step out of line, and there's trouble. "Erica, what is Mr. Talbot like? How does he treat his family?"

Erica was going to answer but heard a call for her coming from inside the house. She quickly stood up, "I'm sorry Theo, but I have to go," she said quickly before turning to leave, but before leaving, she turned to say one more thing to Theo, "Don't trust the parents, but get to know Brett and Lori, they're just as much victims as you are." She then ran inside to attend to her employer.

* * *

Theo went back to his room, with a pit in his stomach. He shouldn't have come. He should have listened to his mother, and he should have stayed far far away from the whole Talbot family. He sensed a darkness here, with Mrs. Talbot's icy tone, and Erica's strange demeanor, something was very wrong with this family, and now, Theo was in the middle of it. His head was spinning, and he did not know what to do. In the back if his mind, he knew he was overreacting. He had only spoken to one member of the family, and the maid. Not necessarily the best sample group for passing judgement on an entire family, but he couldn't take it, he needed to talk to someone, about anything. Before he knew it, he was dialing his phone.

"Hello?" Liam answered his phone, and Theo sighed in relief, just to hear his voice. "Theo, whats up? Are you at the Talbot's place yet?"

Theo smiled, even though Liam couldn't see it because they were just on the phone. "Yes, I am, but I want to know about Hayden, has anything happened since we talked with Nolan? A phone call, a text, anything?"

"Nope, nothing, i actually think she's ghosting me, we probably threw the poor girl into a mental breakdown," Liam said, it was clearly with some guilt, but also he laughed a bit as well. After everything Hayden has put him through, Liam deserved to make a joke, just one. "But you know what was weird? Nolan said he started falling for Hayden. Do you think thats true?"

Theo furrowed his brows, confused on why Liam asked this question, but, nonetheless, Theo gave it some thought. "I really couldn't say. I mean, it is possible that Nolan was lying in order to look a little bit less of an asshole, but his feelings seemed sincere. However, thats not the important question. Whats important is, did Hayden fall for him as well? If their relationship was more then sexual, then maybe, just maybe, we could have accidentally manipulated her more than we thought."

"We went nuclear without even knowing it, manipulating her through love, we just might get lucky," Liam replied, his tone full of hope and it made Theo smile, and feel some hope as well. "In other words, my mom told me she's going to be staying here for a while, she said she is done traveling and wants to spend time with me. Which means, we have to be a bit more inconspicuous. You like that? I learned that word studying for the ACT," Liam said and laughed. Liam's laugh was always infectious, and it made Theo laugh to. He liked this side of Liam a lot, the dorky, more relaxed side. Sure they'd have to me more secretive, but Theo liked Liam with a mom.

"How witty of you," Theo replied with another small laugh. "Speaking of moms, I got to sit down with my step-mother today."

"Ah, I was curious on when you would stop asking me about my life to deflect from your own," Liam teased and continued, "What was she like?"

"I don't think I have met a scarier woman. She was staring daggers into me the whole time, and called me a bastard. I also think she might have threatened me," Theo explained, still shaken up by his interaction. "The nicest thing I can say about her was that she was cold. I have never met anyone like that."

"Welcome to where the other half lives Theo," Liam laughed, "Everyone is cold, to some extent. Emotions lead to talk, talk leads to questions, and questions are never good for the family reputation. Family reputation is everything, and whats worse for their family's reputation than you? No offense. Just telling you how she's looking at it. Not to mention her husband it notoriously awful, so she is probably beat down from that."

"But your mom was nothing like that," Theo protested, refusing to believe that it was this society that turned people into heartless drones. "Sure there was a bit of a cultural difference, but your mom was nice and generous."

"She would love that you think so highly of her Theo, but the bottom line is, you are not a threat to my mother. If your suspicions are true and she really does hate Hayden, then you're an ally to her. But with Mrs. Talbot, you are a threat to their status, and her children's inheritance, your presence in her life makes her think she's losing something," Liam explained, and Theo was beginning to understand Liam's point about this world being different.

"But I just want a family, I really don't want their money," Theo complained and sat down on his bed.

"To people like her, everyone is after her money. The price of having money is being terrified to lose it," Liam replied, his tone getting softer, probably because he sensed Theo's frustration. "Just look at my mother, we just spoke about this. She can't even help me, her only son, because she is scared to lose her money. Thats the unfortunate thing about this life, about this world, is that often times, women are at the mercy of their husbands. Everyone knows how controlling Mr. Talbot really is, there is no love in their marriage. However, she does love one thing, her children, and she sees you as a threat to them."

"I should have listened to you. There was to much about this I don't understand. Can't you and I just run away?" Theo asked with a small laugh. He began pondering what Liam had said, about powerful men controlling their wives. Theo already knew the patriarchal system of the world by watching what his mother had experienced, and if he hadn't, Cora would have made damn well sure that he did before they ever started dating. However, Theo realized now that he had failed to apply that knowledge to the situation. After all, there was one more thing that Mrs. Dunbar and Mrs. Talbot had in common. Both of them, rich and comfortable, were both sitting outside, doing absolutely nothing. They both have enough money to do whatever they want, but instead they were simply sitting, and waiting for their children. Both women, were completely alone. Perhaps that is why Hayden was doing what she was doing, to give her baby a good life, away from the control of powerful men, because she knew that Liam was different, and her baby would have a good life with him as its father. Before Theo's thoughts could spiral further he looked up and saw the Talbot siblings standing in the doorway, "I have to go," he said and hung up.

"I guess you're our brother now," Brett said, eyeing Theo down as he did. He walked up to Theo and stared him straight in the eyes, "Welcome to hell."

 **Long time no see! Sorry for my absence, school and all that made it hard. My computer also deleted my notes on the story so I'm running off memory, meaning my original plan for the story is lost. That is why this chapter is so boring, nonetheless, I hope to keep writing this story with the same flow and narratives that i had originally planned. I will say this (kinda spoiler), the situation with Hayden will be semi resolved soon, but the story is far from over. I love it to much just to end it after Hayden is wrapped up, but the resolution to the Hayden problem is something I planned in the very** **beginning, and am excited to do! Also, to address something in this chapter. Sorry if it sounded "political" with the mention of the patriarchy, i am not trying to sound preachy, after all, if you don't see the patriarchy, this poorly written fanfic will not change your mind. I also do not wish to simply write off Mrs. Dunbar and Mrs. Talbot off as victims of their society, I will spend time fleshing them both out, and their stories will be different. However, after thinking much about it, i decided to include the theme of sexism in this story because this story takes place in our world, and it needs to have themes from our world. I have witnessed and know women similar to Mrs. Dunbar and Mrs. Talbot in my own life, so it would be unjust to write a story about real life without including real life elements. But, like I said, I will flesh them out more, and show you that Theo's observation that they are both polar opposites will be true and untrue all at the same time.**


	16. Chapter 16

Theo was frozen in his spot. He was not scared of Brett, in fact, even though Brett was taller, Theo felt like he could take him if it came to that. The problem was't that Brett was in the doorway. The problem was that his _brother_ was in the doorway. Theo had always thought that he was an only child. The closest thing he had to a brother was Jordan, and Theo liked it that way. Now here he stood, his half-brother, right in front of him. Theo expected some kind of conflict. Take Brett's notorious asshole behavior out of the equation. Here Theo was, the bastard son, coming in after all of these years. Any normal person would feel threatened and conflicted, and he suspected Brett would feel that way too.

The tension in the room lightened a bit when Lori finally spoke up. "Brett, you are going to freak him out." She walked up to Theo and put her hand out, "I am Lori, I am your younger sister. Well, half-sister, I guess, but that is just a minor detail." She smiled warmly as Theo shook her hand. In a strange sense, she reminded him of Mrs. Talbot, if Mrs. Talbot actually had a soul. "Don't mind Brett, he's just an asshole," she laughed.

"I don't think I could really judge either of you right now," Theo confessed, feeling a bit more at ease due to Lori's sunny personality. "I understand how weird this must be for you two. I know the rumors going around town, but I am really not trying to destroy your family."

"Then what are you trying to do?" Brett asked. He was blunt, and a bit brash, however, he was also honest. Theo could respect that.

In truth, Theo really did not know how to answer. In his head, Theo had this elaborate fantasy to get revenge on Mr. Talbot for what he had done to Theo and his mother, however, in truth, being in the Talbot home would not accomplish that. The only way to get anything out of Mr. Talbot would be in the courts. "To get to know him, my father, that is. To get to know you two. I spent my whole life thinking I was an only child." Perhaps Theo had even answered his own questions with his response. He wanted to get to know this family, to see if he really wanted to drag their family through a court case.

Brett's expression softened. Secretly, Theo wandered what exactly Brett had originally thought Theo was here for, but he decided not to ask. If he had won Brett over, he did not want to push it. "I guess it is nice to have a brother, even if it is one that is friends with Dumbar," Brett said with a small laugh.

Theo smiled a bit, trying not to take this light banter seriously. However, he would stop things if they ever got to far, after all, Theo was Liam's... boyfriend? Friend with benefits? The details were not exactly important, but either way, Theo was loyal. "What is your obsession with Liam anyways?

"I am not obsessed with Dunbar, I am obsessed with winning, and Liam just gets in the way of that. It is friendly competition, but you know, the heat of the moment can make it no so friendly at times. The kid's a hothead," Brett said with another laugh. Theo to laugh a bit too, Liam's temper was notorious, even if Theo found it cute at times. "Besides," Brett continued, "I am sure in whatever sport or club you're in, you have that one opponent."

"I actually do not play any sports or do any clubs like that, I just go to school and work," Theo explained. He had considered himself athletic, and enjoyed playing sports for fun, but the high school sports scene was not really his thing. He did not have the stomach for all of the brutal competitiveness.

"Oh, well, you won't last a day here then. Dad expects his kids to excel, if your grades aren't perfect, then you better be doing some extracurricular. I am captain of the lacrosse team and member of the honor society. Lori is one of the best tennis players in the country, and captain of the mathletes. He will expect something from you," Brett explained. Theo really did not think Mr. Talbot would care at all what Theo was doing, seeing as Theo was his bastard son, but Brett's tone seemed firm.

"Thank you for your advice, but I do not expect him to care about anything that I do," Theo replied, before he heard them all three be called down to the dining room for dinner.

* * *

Theo followed his siblings down to the elaborate dinning room, filled with expensive dishes and silverware. The center of the room featured a large dark wood table, with intricately carved chairs. "Sit next to me," Brett whispered, much to Theo's confusion. However, when Mr. Talbot walked into the dining room, the rest of the table robotically moved to their seats. Mr. Talbot sat at the head of the table, with his wife on his right, and Brett to his left. Lori sat down next to Mrs. Talbot, so Theo sat down next to Brett, across from Lori.

The table was silent, almost so much that it was loud. Erica slowly walked in, carrying a tray with small bowls. She announced some kind of soup that Theo had never heard of, before serving them each their bowl, starting with Mr. Talbot of course. Erica made almost too much effort not acknowledge Theo, so he decided to play along and not push the issue. The silence broke when Mr. Talbot spoke up, "Brett, Lori, how is school going?"

As if rehearsed, Brett spoke up instantly. "All A's but one C in history. I am trying my best to bring it up, the teacher is not very understanding about the lacrosse schedule." Mr. Talbot did not seem pleased, but Theo could already see that his true focus was sports. "Our game this weekend is with some school I have not even heard of. Should be an easy victory."

"No victory is easy, play as if you are playing against Beacon Hills, and get that C up," Mr. Talbot replied in a cold and stern tone, as if he were some kind of King, and Brett was his subject. "Lori?"

She put down her spoon and placed her hands in her lap. "My doubles partner sprained her ankle, so she will not be able to practice or compete with me. I will have to partner with Sarah instead. In addition, elections for the mathletes are up, and I am running against Matt for re-election as captain." She looked at her father who said nothing, and merely raised his eyebrows. She quickly add, "And all A's."

"At least I have one smart child," He scoffed at Brett who looked down. "Practice twice as much for your tennis match. We can't have Sarah ruin your record." She nodded obediently. Theo sensed a fear in the Talbot children, which shocked him. They both seemed so confident and strong-willed, yet they seemed to fear their own father. "What about you Theo?"

Theo almost did not respond, as he was shocked he was even acknowledged, "Oh, um, I have B's and C's. I also work at the Dunbars' house."

"Yes, I suppose you need to learn how your mother lived, but now that you're my son, you have standards to uphold. You can keep your job, but you must get your grades up, and start gaining some extracurriculars, its bad enough that everyone knows who you are now, but you can at least be a decent son," Theo was was getting angry, and he clenched his fists, but he knew he could not do anything. "You cannot pick and choose when I am your father or not. You want to live here, be my son, be my children's sibling? Then you have to follow my rules." Theo merely said nothing. Mr. Talbot kind of had a point, if Theo wanted to spend time with this family, he would have to follow the rules. At least long enough for him to decide whether or not he actually liked anyone in this family.

* * *

Dinner remained quiet and was over eventually. Theo had an exhausting day, and wanted to get some sleep, because he still had school tomorrow. In fact, he had to wake up early the next morning, as he was out of his school district, so he could not take the bus. He needed to wake up in time to catch the city bus to Liam's side of town, and Liam offered to drive him to school, per Mrs. Dunbar's request. Theo knew there was more to her than meets the eye.

Theo was in his room, with a nice, Queen sized bed, all to himself, and, his very own bathroom. If there was a silver lining to all of this, it was that he got to live in a nice mansion during his time with Mr. Talbot. Theo went into the bathroom and took a nice warm shower, before getting out and drying off. He checked his phone and noticed a few messages from Liam, who was just trying to see what Theo was doing. The message chain ended with "I know you are probably overwhelmed with everything, but message me if you need me! Goodnight!"

Theo smiled at Liam's message and texted him back, "Sorry, I could not check my phone at dinner. I will talk to you tomorrow. Goodnight!" He then slipped on his boxers before crawling into his nice comfy bed. He set his alarm on his phone before pulling up the blankets and falling asleep. Theo was sleeping peacefully before he was awoken by some distant sound. It was coming from Brett's room. Someone was crying out it seemed.

Theo got up and walked across the hall to Brett's room, to see what was going on. Part of him just suspected Brett had snuck someone in and they were just doing what teenagers do. However, he could hear Brett call out, "No, please." Theo slowly opened the door and saw Brett alone, in a sweat, stirring in his sleep.

Theo approached the bed, and gently said, "Brett, Brett, wake up, its just a dream." Then, with a huge gasp of air, Brett shot up instantly turning to Theo. "Brett, its me, I know you were having a nightmare, may-"

"Get the hell out!" Brett yelled, bolting out of bed, and pushing Theo right out the door so hard, that Theo fell to the ground. Then, Brett slammed the door so hard, that if the house weren't the size of a palace, it probably would have woken everyone up.

Theo sighed and he sat up, before noticing Lori standing right down the hall. "This is probably my bad. I probably should have warned you about him. He does this, like, every night. He gets really defensive if anyone sees, like some kind of toxic masculinity thing. I don't know, but from now on, just don't bother him."

Theo nodded, and she offered her hand to help him up, which he took. "Don't bother him." He repeated and walked back to his room. The chilling thing about what Theo had just witnessed, was that it was so familiar. The cries for mercy, the immediate anger after being woken up. It was like deja vu. Then, Theo understood why it was so creepy to him, because it was just like what happened with Liam.

 **A/N: I am back, and with a question. What sport should Theo play? Soccer, Swimming, or Baseball?**


	17. Chapter 17

Theo woke up at the shrieking of his alarm. Everyone else in the house was still asleep as it was still too early for them to have to get up. However, Theo had to get up and get ready so he could catch the bus to Liam's house. In what seemed like a groggy blur, Theo was ready, out the door, and on the bus without waking a single soul in the Talbot mansion. On the bus Theo's mind began to wake up and get flooded with everything that was happening in his life. His mind raced with thoughts of his first day in the Talbot house, and then about Liam's problems too. It seems like they've exhausted every option to get Hayden to come clean, and they have gotten nowhere. They may just have to cut their losses and wait for the child to be born.

As the bus stopped, and Theo got off to walk from the bus stop to Liam's house, he tried to push the negativity out of his head. There was so much going on, but none of it would be fixed with a negative attitude. As Theo approached the house, he could see Liam walking out the door, but his mom stopping him and handing him his lunch before hugging him. This made Theo smile, he was glad to see that Liam finally had his mom back.

Liam walked off the porch and smiled as he caught sight of Theo, "Good morning!" He said with a pure sense of happiness that Theo rarely saw from Liam. This only reinforced to Theo how much Liam's mom being back really affected Liam. Liam unlocked his car and tossed his back pack in the back, "Get in, lets go."

Theo put his back in the back as well, before getting in on the passenger side. "So, your mom made your lunch?" Theo asked teasingly as Liam put the car and gear and made his way out of the driveway.

His face flushed red slightly from embarrassment, "Yeah, she has been very attentive like that lately," Liam explained to Theo, "I think she feels bad for being so absent all that time. She is making up for lost time. Honestly, its just nice to not come home to an empty house." Theo nodded in agreement, glad Liam was finally getting the parent he deserved. Theo was still curious on Liam's dad, the almost mystical man that seemingly controlled both Liam and his mother, but he would not ask now. "Speaking of parents," Liam continued, "How was the Talbots'?"

"Weird," Theo confessed, but laughed a bit to ease the tension of his night there. He had told Liam about some of if, but not all of it. "Right after we hung up yesterday I got to talk to Brett and Lori. I know you don't like Brett, but they both seem very nice." It was still weird for Theo that Liam's lacrosse arch rival was now his half-brother. "You two probably butt heads a lot in lacrosse because his father has crazy expectations for both of them."

"I don't dislike Brett as a person, in truth, I hardly know him, but in lacrosse, he is my biggest competitor," Liam replied, and Theo noted how similarly he spoke about Brett, as Brett had spoken about Liam. "So I am glad that you like him, he is your brother after all, but I more curious about Mr. Talbot. What about him?"

"He was how he always is, but maybe he is just trying to scare me off," Theo replied. In truth there was a small part of Theo that thought behind closed doors, maybe Mr. Talbot was a good person, but he was beginning to think he was wrong. "He is like a drill sergeant with his children. He pushes them so hard. He even told me that I have to join a sports team if I want to be treated like his kid. So I guess I have to try out for something."

"You have to join a sports team?" Liam asked with a small laugh. "You're timing could not be better, because there is a new team being started up and they need one more member. So, you are guaranteed a spot!"

"And what is it?" Theo asked raising his eyebrow, curious as to why Liam had gotten all smiley all of a sudden.

"I will just have Lydia meet you at your locker after school," Liam replied, still with his mischievous grin.

* * *

After school, Theo waited for Lydia at his locker. He was still curious on what kind of team he was joining, and what Lydia had to do with it, but he trusted Liam. Theo saw Lydia approaching and he waved. She walked to him and waved for him to follow her, "We do not have much time, we are already late for practice!" They walked together in the hallways, but Theo was confused as to where they were going. "Jackson is going to be so excited, we needed three boys and three girls for our school to qualify for any tournaments, and now we have the third boy."

Theo nodded as he walked, glad that he could help a team qualify, he just wish that he knew what he'd be doing. "I am glad to help out, but what are we doing exactly. Is this something that Liam thinks I will be good at?"

"I do not know if Liam thinks you will be good at it," Lydia said and laughed a bit to herself, "But I definitely know why he suggested you do this."

Before Theo could question more, Lydia opened the door and led him to the school swimming pools. The pools were often used for recreation time or gym time, so that students could exercise in more fun ways. That was really their only purpose. Lydia led Theo to a group of four more people. There was Jackson, who had quit lacrosse because the pressure was not good for his mental health, but competitive as always, he probably formed this new team to give him something to do. Next to Jackson, and holding his hand, was Aiden, twin brother to Lydia's previous boyfriend Ethan, and Jackson's boyfriend. Then, there was Allison and Malia, who Theo already knew kind of well. "Guys, this is Theo. Liam had told him we needed a last member so here he is."

Jackson smiled and shook Theo's hand, "Nice to meet you Theo! Welcome to the swim team!"

 _The swim team?!_ Theo thought to himself _Why on Earth would Liam suggest this?_ Theo thought. However he had already committed to Jackson and the team so there was no turning back. Besides, as Theo thought about it, it kind of made sense. The team was new and had the bare minimum members, meaning Theo did not need to be good to participate, he just had to be there. Besides, it was the cheapest sport, as the school even paid for the swimsuits, so Theo did not need to worry about money. Perhaps this could be fun, after all, he liked Lydia and Allison, and Malia, Jackson, and Ethan all seemed nice as well.

"So really, there are no requirements to be here other than showing up to practice and to tournaments," Jackson explained to the team. "I know we probably won't be great at first but if we work for it we can improve. Now, everyone, lets get in the water and see what we can do!"

As Theo went into the locker room and changed in to the swimsuit, he began to see why Liam might have been secretly loving that Theo would be on the swim team. The swimsuit was not a speedo, but they were not trunks either. Theo might as well have only been wearing super small, super tight, rubbery boxer briefs. He chuckled to himself, perhaps Liam was a bit naughtier than he let on.

* * *

After swim practice ended, Theo made his way to the parking lot, as Liam was his ride back to the Dunbar mansion, because Theo still had to go to work too. He walked over to Liam's car, but noticed that Hayden was standing near it, probably waiting for Liam to get done with lacrosse practice. Theo turned to walk away but he stopped when he heard her voice call out to him, "Why are you off in such a hurry?" His back still turned to her, he was frozen in his spot. He could hear her footsteps get closer to him. "Aren't you waiting for Liam? We can wait together." Theo turned around but said nothing to her, he did not really understand what she was up too. "Maybe you are right, take the bus home."

"And why should I do that?" Theo asked her and raised his eyebrow, knowing that he did not like what was going on here.

"Because your little game with him, is over," She replied and crossed her arms, staring daggers at Theo. "Your interference in my life has been nothing but a small annoyance, until now. You had Nolan come talk to me, trying to ruin my life with these crazy theories."

"Are they really that crazy?" Theo asked, he knew he should feel intimidated, but he was actually invigorated by the fact that Nolan had followed through. "I trust you know where babies come from right?"

She gave him a cold laugh, "You know, you are funny. I see why he likes you. See, we have a lot in common, you and I. I am funny too." She said and her smile vanished, as she gritted her teeth. "Here's a funny joke, but mind you, its a long one. Once upon a time there was a bastard, whose mother worked as the maid in a home where a beautiful young girl lived." Theo's eyes widened and his heart sunk at this. "Yes, thats right, I'll admit, it took me a while to figure it out, but then I realized, you both have a thing for going after taken men." Theo's mom had worked for the Romero's ever since the Hale house burned down, but up to this point, Theo tried to keep that separate from the drama with Hayden, fearing she may find out, but now she knows. "Any ways, back to the joke. The girl hated the bastard, and wanted to punish him, so she took some jewelry, slipped it into the maid's purse, before accusing the maid of stealing. After all, who were the cops going to believe? A worthless maid, or the wealthy heiress. Now, heres the real funny part, because of this, the maid gets fired, and goes to jail. Funny enough for you?"

Theo could not say anything, instead he just stood there with gritted teeth and clenched fists. What was he supposed to do? His mom was already lucky to have this job, and even if somehow she did not go to jail for theft, she would be hard pressed to find another job due to her connection with Mr. Talbot and even the accusation of theft, if Hayden ever went through with this. The rich families liked it that way, they got to keep all of the power. "Thats right, the Hale's can't protect either of you anymore. Stop talking to him, stop filling his head with ideas, if I so much as see you talking to anyone that isn't your pathetic sidekick, Corey, or those backstabbing bitches Lydia and Cora, than your mom gets a new home behind bars, and you get to live with your dear old daddy full time."

* * *

After the talk with Hayden, there was no way Theo could ride home with Liam or even go the Dunbar's today, so instead he took the city bus to the Talbot's neighborhood and texted both Liam and Mrs. Dunbar that he was sick and just needed to go home. His mind spun with the thought of his mother framed for theft due to his own actions. Her reputation was already ruined once, and was only saved because Thalia Hale hired her, but now Thalia was dead, and the Hale's were all but completely gone, leaving only Derek and Cora who remain. His mom was right. He never should have taken the job at the Dunbar's. He never would have fallen for Liam and gotten mixed up in this drama, and he could have lived the rest of his life not knowing that Mr. Talbot was his father.

He stepped off the bus and walked a few blocks to the Talbot mansion before noticing a familiar car in the driveway. He made his way to the front porch where he saw Mrs. Dunbar standing, in her usual bright colored sun dress with the matching sun hat. "Oh Theo, I was just about to knock on the door!" She said with a smile, and he noticed she was carrying something. "The mom blog I followed said its important to do nice things for you child's friends, so when i heard you were sick i made some chicken noodle soup and wanted to bring it to you." Her warm demeanor turned to sadness as she got a good look at Theo, "You're not... sick... are you?"

Theo shook his head, "No ma'am," He said softly, unsure of what to tell her about why he was not going in to work today.

She nodded slightly and everything was silent for a moment. It seemed they were both thinking about what to do next. Finally, Mrs. Dunbar broke the silence, "You're also not just friends with my son are you?" Theo did not have the emotional strength to deny it at this point, so instead, he just looked down. Mrs. Dunbar placed the soup on a table that was on the porch and hugged Theo lightly. "Thank you. For being there for him. Now that we are honest with each other, tell me what you really think of Hayden."

Theo and Mrs. Dunbar sat outside on the porch swing and Theo told her everything he knew. He probably should have left a few things out, but he told her every single detail, needing to get it off his chest. He was tired of the secrecy. He told her about the kiss, both of them for that matter, the conversation with Lydia, the gala, all leading up to his conversation with Hayden today. "She wants to get your mom arrested?" Mrs. Dunbar asked in complete shock.

"She said if she sees me talking to Liam or really anyone of his friends that she would plant jewelry in my mom's purse," Theo replied.

She nodded as she thought something over. "I will take care of this. In the meantime, do not stop talking to Liam, please. You should see how he lights up when he talks about you." Then, the sound of a car pulling up the driveway, drew their attention to see that Brett and Lori were home from school. Mrs. Dunbar stood up, "I should get going," She paused before turning back to Theo, "I do not know what Liam has told you about me, or his father for that matter. I do not blame him for speaking poorly of either us, but I want you to know, that I am telling you this now. I want my son with someone who makes him happy, no matter if they are male or female, or rich or poor. I would be overjoyed if he brought you home, as more than just friends."

Theo smiled, feeling a lot better after his discussion with Mrs. Dunbar. He did not know how she would handle this, but if she was anything like Liam, he knew she would keep her word. Meanwhile, Brett and Lori joined Theo on the porch, "Everything ok?" Lori asked him, "You seem a little down." Theo nodded to her and smiled, surprised either of them even cared.

"Come on Raeken, Lori and I were going to go for a swim out back, come with us," Brett told Theo was smile. He was surpised that Brett was being so friendly after last night, but it felt nice to come home and have these people care about him. He had felt so isolated at the Talbot home, even though was there for just a day. Perhaps it would not be so bad after all.

"I have had enough swimming for today," Theo replied and chuckled, "But I will go hang out with you guys."

 **This chapter is a mess, I know, but I just felt like writing! I know Hayden's threat seems out of nowhere, but it was in my original notes for this story, which I lost a while ago, but found a few days back. This was always the plan, but I apologize for not laying the proper foundation for it.**


	18. Chapter 18

Theo decided to sit out by the pool while Brett and Lori swam. Theo had more swimming than he could take for one day, but he wanted to spend time with his siblings. Especially after the ordeal with Brett last night, he was glad that there were no hard feelings. They mostly just hung out, and talked about their lives, getting to know each other more. Maybe this whole sibling thing wasn't so bad. Of course, as a child Theo usually had Jordan, who was like an older brother, but ever since Jordan joined the military a couple of years ago, he had been gone a lot. It was nice for Theo to have someone to go home too.

"So the swim team? Really?" Brett asked with a small laugh after Theo revealed to his siblings what his sport of choice was. "That just sounds like a made up team made by some student in order to get close to other hotties in skimpy uniforms. Well done."

Theo had to laugh, in fact, he had suspected the same thing. However, he knew Jackson, and he knew Jackson plays to win, so there was at least some level of credibility to this team. "I am not entirely convinced that is not what it really is," he teased back to his _brother_. It was still weird to think that Brett was his brother, but it was weird in a good way.

"Well whatever it is, just make sure that you are the best," Lori responded, in a warm tone, but also laced with a sense of warning. "Dad will come watch every tournament and be at every event. If you do not win, there will be consequences." Theo understood what she meant. He seemed pretty strict, but nothing that Theo could not handle.

"She is right," Brett chimed in, his tone a bit more somber and filled with something. Fear maybe? It was no secret that Mr. Talbot inspired fear in his children, but this from Brett was different. It was almost manic. However, Brett cooled down and continued, "He has been more easy going since you got here, but the moment you disappoint him, the moment he will snap. Trust me, just do well."

Theo was concerned at their adamant warning. He was used to the over-bearing and mean father trope. After all, Liam Dunbar was his (boy)friend(?), so he had already learned how damaging that could be to someone, but there was something in the Talbot's tone that was different. Whatever it was, they would tell him when they were ready, so he decided to lighten the mood with a quick joke, "Don't even go there Mr. C in history. Literally the easiest subject."

Lori burst out into a laugh, and Brett crossed his arms defensively, "History is hard, with all those stupid dates and people," he argued. "I simply do not have time in my schedule to learn about Ancient Greece, as important as it may be." It was clear, though, that Brett was mostly joking. It made Theo feel more comfortable knowing that they could tease each other in good fun now.

"You know, I actually know someone who is pretty good in history, if you wanted a tutor," Theo suggested, knowing it would be a long shot. The siblings looked at him, as if asking who. "Liam, he is great in that class." He knew full well that Liam and Brett had a professional rivalry, but they both said themselves that neither of them disliked the other personally. It was just about lacrosse. Anyways, Liam was quickly becoming the most important person in Theo's life, outside of his family, and if this whole blended family thing was going to work, he wanted the Talbot children to at least know Liam.

Brett burst in to laugher, as if Theo had just told the funniest joke of all time. "Listen bro, just because you are in love with Dumbar, does not mean I have to be." Before Theo could so much as open his mouth to object, Brett continued, "Like, no judgement, I swing both ways too, but Dumbar is not either one of those ways. Keep him and his history knowledge away from me. Besides, you do not want him around me too long, you might lose him," Brett winked with a laugh.

Theo's anxiety immediately melted away, and though he was now aware how not subtle he and Liam had been, he was also comforted by the support he received from his step siblings. "Trust me, you could not take him from me even if you wanted to," Theo replied with a laugh. Then, he felt vibrating in his pocket, and he pulled out his phone, it was his mother. "Hey guys, I need to take this, be right back." Theo walked away to teasing from his siblings about this being Liam, which honestly made Theo laugh, but he did not tell him it was his mom. Perhaps that could still be a touchy subject in his household. "Hello?"

"Hey sweetheart," and from her tone, Theo thought she might be excited about something, though it was always hard to tell over the phone. "I just wanted to talk to you about something that just happened, although, part of me thinks you may have had something to do with it."

"Ok? What is it?" Theo asked. Of course, a part of him was worried that this could be about Hayden, perhaps she went ahead and framed his mother anyway, but his mom's tone did not seem to imply distress. So really, he had no idea what was going on.

"Mrs. Dunbar just called me, I do not even know how she had my number, but anyway, she called me and asked me to work for her!" And now he could definitely tell that she was excited. He was shocked to hear this, but when he thought about it, it made sense. Mrs. Dunbar had promised to protect his mom, and this was her way of doing it. Wow. Theo may like Mrs. Dunbar almost as much as he likes Liam. "But before I accepted it, I wanted to make sure it was ok. I know you work there, and you and Liam have gotten close, so I did not want to be that mom that got involved in your business."

"No! Mom, take the job!" Theo said excitedly. This was perfect. His mom was out of the Romero house for good, and Theo genuinely trusted Mrs. Dunbar. Besides, even from a employee standpoint, Theo always found her to be a good boss. "Call her back now and tell her you accept!"

* * *

Cora waited patiently, but to say that she was excited would be a lie. She took a sip of her iced coffee, trying to drown out crappy indie music that was playing over the coffee shop's speakers. Cora hated it here, even more so after having to break up with Theo here, but this was the _it_ place in town. Everyone in their school always came here for coffee, and so Cora knew that this was the only place she would find _her_ and make it look like an accident. After all, she had been ignoring both her and Lydia's calls for weeks now.

The bell that signified the door opening rung, and Cora looked up, seeing Hayden walk through the door. Cora immediately stood up to get her attention, "Hey Hayden, it has been a while," she said in that fake friendly voice she hated using, but it was necessary. "After you order, come sit with me so we can catch up." Hayden tried to object but Cora persisted, and after Hayden ordered a smoothie, she joined Cora in a booth in the back corner of the shop.

"So," Hayden asked as she got comfortable in her side of the booth, "This clearly was not an accident, so what do you have to say to me? I'm a bitch? Why am I ignoring you? Out with it then, so we can go about our lives."

"I want to talk about Liam," Cora fired back, raising her eyebrow slightly. If it was war Hayden wanted, Cora was more than happy to give it to her. Try as she might to hide it and play tuff, Hayden had always been intimidated by Cora, a fact Cora never purposefully exploited, until now.

"I don't want to talk about him," Hayden replied, firmly gripping her smoothie, no doubt for a quick exit.

"But we are going to," Cora replied and gently pulled Hayden's hands off her smoothie cup, "So get comfortable." Cora and Hayden had been in the same social circle since birth. Therefore this was more like talking to a cousin, rather than any old classmate. This meant that Cora would get firm when she needed, especially about this, because it has gone to far.

Hayden paused, looking at Cora, "What is to stop me from walking out and leaving?"

"Because you know walking out on me now burns the last bridge between us, and seeing as your social circle is getting alarmingly small, I have a feeling you won't want to make it worse." In truth, Hayden was on the outs with everyone in their circle, Lydia, Scott, Malia, Allison, and Stiles. She had no friends. Besides, if it was going to be a battle of will, Cora beat her every single time.

Hayden broke eye contact and looked down at her smootie for a half-second, but it was an acknowledgment that Cora had beaten her. She sat back in the both and waved her hands, "So out with it then."

"Give it up, please," Cora answered, instantly softening her tone towards Hayden. After all, they had all been friends. Once. "Give it all up. You're pregnant, this is exciting, the girls wanted to throw you a shower and everything, but then..."

"But then you betrayed me like the back stabbing bitches you are," Hayden snapped back, right on schedule. Cora had her pinned, and brought up the sore spot, so out came the claws. "You all have this benevolent older sister act, but its all bullshit. You dumped me for your precious Liam."

"Listen to yourself!" Cora pleaded with Hayden, "You know this is a lie, and you are willing to throw everyone away for it! And for what? For Liam? You don't love him! For acceptance? Why? Why are you lying? You have Nolan, so why not be with him, who you actually care about."

Hayden clenched her fists, trying to keep her cool, but she was crumbling. Cora could see it this whole time, the stress of all of this had been getting to her, that is why she had been acting out so viciously. "Liam is the father," She mumble through gritted teeth, "My parents want me with Liam, not Nolan. My family hates his family, and they would kill me if they knew we so much as talked, but it does not matter, because Liam is the father."

Cora took that as the confession she needed, and suddenly it made sense. Family feuds were common in their social class, and it was a wonder none of them had seen it sooner. Cora reached out and took Hayden's hand, this time in a gentler, more familial way. "Hayden, I am sorry, but you cannot ruin someone else's life just because yours would get inconvenient. I know you were and probably still are scared, but we can all help you through it."

Hayden jerked her hand back, "Stop portraying me as some selfish monster. This baby helps Liam too, because if his dad knew that he had feelings for that pool boy then he'd be disowned, and God only knows what else would happen to that family. See? This baby was destiny, and now you are all trying to tear us apart."

Cora nodded as she listened, even more was clicking in her head. "You and Liam used to be so close, now you both seem to hate each other," Cora mumbled, thinking out loud. Putting the pieces together was hard, but somehow it was getting easier. "You were his cover story weren't you? For his family?" This was the only explanation to the whole thing. "You kept him with a girl, while he was supposed to keep you from doing something stupid. Eventually, you both started resenting each other because you both were keeping the other from being happy. But you were both to scared to end it. Then the baby accidentally happened and you're just trying to hold on to the way things were."

Hayden's eyes began to well up with tears as she looked back at Cora, "It did not start out that way," She said in between tears. "We didn't plan it. We didn't, still don't talk about it. I liked him, I really did, and I thought he liked me too in the beginning, maybe he did in his own way. The years went on and it was clear, he had no interest in me, but I stayed, he was nice, how could I break up with him? Besides, my parents loved him, and having a boyfriend kept me from making a huge mistake, which I eventually did anyway." She brought her hands to her stomach, where the baby bump began forming.

"Hayden I know it is hard, but you have to come clean with this," Cora said, taking Hayden's hand again, and this time, she did not pull away this time.

"Or what? You recorded this conversation and will release the audio?" Hayden asked, partly joking, but Cora picked up a sense of seriousness. After all, with everything that happened, it would not be hard to believe it would come to that.

"Or you won't be happy, Hayden," Cora sighed, taking the last sip of her iced coffee before standing up. "Take it from me," She said, looking at Hayden try to pull herself together as best she could, "You don't want to be the girl that stops them from being together. I know you were trying to protect each other for a long time, but you need to let him be happy, and you deserve to be happy too." Then, Cora walked out, leaving Hayden alone at the table with her lies, and a big decision.

* * *

That night, Theo slept more soundly than he thought he would. Perhaps having his mother separated from Hayden's reign of terror put him more at ease than he had been in a long time. However, he should have known his peace would be temporary, as he heard the pleas and noises coming from Brett's room. He debated doing nothing. That was what Lori advised, and she knew him better. However, Theo thought about Liam, and his nightmares. He would not want Liam to wake up alone after a nightmare if he did not have too, so he should extend that kindness to Brett too.

He got out of bed, and went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water, just like he had for Liam, and he returned upstairs to Brett's room. Perhaps this was an invasion of privacy, so Brett would rightly be upset, but Theo knew he could help if Brett just let him. He set the glass of water on Brett's night stand and gently whispered, "Brett. Brett wake up, its just a dream." Brett stayed in his manic nightmarish state, so Theo tried again, "Brett!" he was a bit more forceful, "Its Theo, just wake up."

Brett shot up, sweating and breathing like he had just run a marathon. He looked over, and a wave of anger spread over his face, "I told you to stay the hell out!" Brett bolted up. He attempted to push Theo out, like he had done the first time Theo tried this, but this time Theo was not caught off guard. He stood his ground and pushed Brett back, stunning the taller male that Theo actually fought back.

"Listen, I know I did not follow directions, but I am trying to help!" Theo shot back, and his adamant tone seemed to catch Brett a bit off guard. "We are brothers, and I have experience with these things, so just let me help you."

Brett's breathing slowed down a bit, and the anger dissolved after a few moments of them just standing in front of each other. Brett slowly decided to sit back down, and he looked over at his night stand, seeing the glass of water. "Is this your magic solution?" He asked and took a drink, "Nope, the trauma is still there." Brett replied, but he drank the rest of the water, nonetheless.

"No, I just know nightmares are like panic attacks, and panics attacks can be physically exhausting, so stay hydrated," Theo replied, sitting down on the bed next to Brett. "Most people also find water calming, it works for Liam. My solution, it talking it out. What were you dreaming about?"

Brett looked at Theo, and Theo could tell Brett was shocked with the mention of Liam also having nightmares like this. However, he did not comment on it. "It was about my dad. They always are."

"What about him?" Theo asked.

"Do not push it," Brett snapped back, calmly, but firmly. They may have been brothers, but understandably so, Brett did not seem to trsut Theo like one yet. They needed to build that bond. The two then sat in silence, Brett refusing to go in to any more details about his nightmare.

Theo could tell that this was going to be the extent of their talk tonight. But even still, he was happy to have made this progress with Brett, and over time, he could help him. "Well, remember, it was just a dream." Theo stood up and made his way to the door. He had come to the realization that he could not instantly solve every problem. Perhaps he could fully help Brett, but it will take time to build the trust. For now, if Brett would only accept a glass of water, then Theo would be happy to help, until Brett was ready to open up.

On his way out, he heard Brett mumble under his breathe, "If only that were true."


	19. Chapter 19

As Theo laid in his bed, he tried to understand what Brett meant by his statement. 'If only that were true' Theo's brother mumbled, after Theo assuring him it was just a dream. In this moment Theo thought that maybe Mr. Talbot was capable of more than Theo had even considered. The question kept him up almost all night, not only because he was worried for Brett, but because Liam had a similar type of dreams. Could Mr. Dunbar be capable of the same evil that Theo theorized Mr. Talbot was capable of?

Eventually Theo managed to drift off in to a restless sleep, before being awoken by his alarm clock. Once again, Theo had to wake up earlier than the rest of the Talbot's because he had to bus to Liam's for a ride to school. He quickly got ready and rushed down stairs to grabs something small from the kitchen, and he was surprised to see that he actually was not the only one up. He could hear Mrs. Talbot's voice and she sounded mad, so Theo waited outside the kitchen, out of sight.

"What the hell is wrong with you, girl?" Mrs. Talbot asked, her tone still icy but somehow also fiercely angry at the same time.

"I-i'm sorry ma'am," he heard Erica plead, a sense of fear and desperation filled her voice. "I really did not realize we were out, with everything so hectic around here I didn't notice. I will go get some today, I promise."

"We should have left you out on the street where we found you," Mrs. Talbot snapped back before Theo heard the sound of glass breaking, followed by footsteps leaving the kitchen.

Theo gave it a few moments, to make sure the coast was clear, and he stepped into the kitchen where he saw Erica on her hands and knees cleaning up shards of glass from a broken mug. He knelt down to help her, "Erica what happened?"

"When I did the weekly grocery shopping I forgot to pick up the proper drinks for Mrs. Talbot, she likes to start her day with some mixed in with her coffee," Erica replied, not looking up, and Theo could tell that she had been crying and was trying to hide it. Erica was always a strong willed person, who no one messed with. It was weird to see her so defeated like this.

"Drink?" Theo asked curiously, "As in alcohol? This early in the morning?" Erica just didn't answer, so Theo took that as a yes to the alcohol question. He sighed and looked up at her, "That part about being picked up from the street, what was that about?" Theo knew that Erica's parents had been well off, and he was under the impression they still were. None of this made sense to him.

She sighed and slammed the basket she was sweeping the glass into and looked up at Theo, "Is there anything I can get you sir? I know you need to be going soon to catch the bus." Then she stood up and emptied the basket of glass into the trash can.

* * *

Theo took the hint and left Erica alone, but he had not dropped the issue. If she would not answer his question then there was one person who might know about what happened to her, Cora. However, he also knew that he and Liam still had their issues to worry about so asking Cora about Erica would need to wait for now. Theo jogged up to Liam's house and he saw Liam already waiting in his car. "You're late," Liam told Theo with an annoyed tone in his voice.

"Sorry, I got a late start and had to catch a later bus," Theo replied, quickly getting into the car before Liam wasted no time in starting the car and making his way to school. Liam was silent on the way to school which made Theo feel even worse for being late to his house this morning. "Listen, Liam, I really am sorry about leaving you waiting. There was this situation with Erica, and I got distracted, and I know I should have texted you but I did not think I would be this late."

Liam sighed, his eyes still almost creepily focused on the road, "It's fine, it really is," he said, but his tone did not reassure Theo. Perhaps Liam wasn't mad about Theo being late, but there was definitely something. "Truthfully, I am just in a bad mood this morning," Liam finally explained, "Last night my mom told me that my dad was coming back in the next few days, and he plans to stay a while."

Theo nodded in silence, he had no idea what to say to that. He barely knew anything about Liam's father other than small tidbits of negative information Liam had shared. But every teenager talks bad about their father, right? This seemed different though. Liam had put a wall up this morning, and Theo knew what that meant. That meant Liam was scared or nervous, or some combination of both. "Liam-"

"Don't have to say anything," he interrupted, and Theo was kind of glad, as he had no idea what he was about to say. "I just wanted you to know that we have to be a lot more careful at the house now, or anywhere in general, and I will likely be acting different." Liam's eyes were still glued to the road as his arms stiffly gripped the steering wheel. It was clear that he did not want his father back at all. They sat through the rest of the ride in silence.

* * *

That day at lunch, Theo sat down at his usual table, but today he was not alone. Across from him sat Lydia and Cora, both seemed a little quiet, which implied they were hiding something, but Theo did not ask. Today was already strange enough and he just wanted to get through it. He already had so much on his mind with Hayden, the talbots, and now Liam's dad. Not to mention he was still employed and he still had school and the swim team. Their quiet lunch was interrupted when a familiar voice said, "Hey Theo!"

Theo turned to see Jordan, his basically brother, standing behind him. "Jordan, what are you doing here?"

"You know, the army goes around to high schools to talk to potential recruits so I volunteered to come today know I would get to harass you at lunch," Jordan laughed and Theo could not help but laugh a little bit too. "I can't stay long, I just wanted to say hi," he looked up and saw Cora before smiling again, "And hello to you as well Cora.

Jordan made his way back to the table he was working at and began to talking to some of Theo's classmates about joining the army. Theo turned back to his friends and Lydia asked, "Ok, who the hell was that?"

"Thats Jordan, he was kind of like an adopted brother to me, my mom took him in because his home life was not the best," Theo replied, keeping it vague, as it was Jordan's business about what exactly happened.

"He's kinda cute right?" Cora laughed as she turned to Lydia, "When Derek was still in high school, they were both best friends, and I always though he was so cute, and he is really nice. He seems perfect for you Lydia, he is only a few years older than us, and I am tired of seeing you alone."

"He is cute, I will admit," Lydia replied, eyeing Jordan from a distance for a few moments before shaking her head, "Listen, the last boy I liked ran off with a Hale, and I do not what that happening again. You are clearly in to him, so you can have him."

"Oh Lydia, I do no-" Cora began but they both froze when they saw something behind Theo. It was like they had seen a ghost, so Theo was about to turn around but Cora stopped him, leaning in she whispered, "Do not turn around."

"Something is about to happen and you have to say yes," Lydia whispered quickly before both girls leaned back as if nothing had ever happened.

Before Theo could even think to respond, he felt a tap on the shoulder. He turned around to se Hayden standing in front of him, and he had no idea what to say. Luckily, she spoke first, "Hey Theo, can we talk in private?"

* * *

The two of them found an empty classroom so they could talk alone. Theo hadn't the faintest idea on what might be going on here. However, he had his guard up. His last private talk with Hayden was filled with her threatening him and his mother. When she closed the door, he crossed his arms and looked at her, not bothering for pleasantries or introductions. She did not deserve them, not after last time. She looked down, and Theo could instantly tell something was different with her. "I know you do not want to talk to me," she said simply.

"Understatement of the century," Theo replied, but he held back all he wanted to say. Something was clearly wrong, and she did not want to be here almost as much as him it seemed. "What do you want?"

"I'm," she paused and took a deep breathe, "I am sorry. I dragged you in to my mess and that wasn't fair of me. Liam clearly thinks highly of you, and well, not so much of me anymore, but I know I deserve that."

To say Theo was shocked, now _that_ would be the understatement of the century. He was completely blindsided by this, and he had no idea what to say to her. This was beginning to be a weird day all the way around. "Hayden-"

"Please, just let me finish," she pleaded and Theo gave her a nod, allowing her to continue. "I know you don't want excuses so I won't bother explaining to you, but I want you to know I am done now. I thought I was fighting fire with fire, but someone had me look around and I hadn't noticed I burned my whole world down, and yours and Liam's too. This baby is Nolan's and I am ready to accept that now. I am meeting with Liam later today to tell him." Surprisingly, she had not cried at all during their meeting but the tears began now, "Take care of him ok? I put him through hell, but I do care about him, I always did."

Theo nodded, still speechless, but that last part, he knew exactly what to say to that. "I will."

She wiped away some of her tears and nodded, "Thank you, I have to go," and just like that, she was gone, running down the hallway to the bathroom, likely to dry her tears. Theo texted Lydia and Cora telling that they should go comfort Hayden. Meanwhile, Theo's head was spinning. He did not know what to think. Was it really over? Was Hayden done screwing with all of their lives? But there was one question that burned Theo's mind. What did this mean for him and Liam?

* * *

That afternoon Theo went to swim practice and he actually had a nice time. He never had that many friends at school but thanks to Liam and Lydia too, Theo was on the swim team and had actual friends other than just Corey. Jackson was a little rough around the edges, but Theo enjoyed bantering with him. Ethan was a genuinely fun person and always made Theo laugh. Allison was such a sweet yet strong person, and Theo felt like they actually had some similarities, although they were very different. Malia was crazy competitive and not very trusting, but Theo felt like he was making progress in a friendship. Then there was Lydia, perhaps now, strangely enough, one of Theo's best friends, not counting Corey or Liam. Maybe joining the swim team was not so bad after all.

After practice Theo went to the parking lot to wait near Liam's car. Lacrosse practice usually went a little longer than swim practice and of course Theo knew that Hayden was going to talk to Liam. He was curious on how Liam would react knowing it was all over. Theo knew, in a weird way, Liam also cared for Hayden. Their relationship was a roller coaster, but they were on it together. Now they'd go their semi-separate ways, and he had no idea how that would make Liam feel. Theo was broken from his thinking when a familiar voice behind him say, "Hey."

He turned and it was Liam, but before Theo could speak, Liam leaned in and kissed him softly. Theo was shocked at first but kissed back, wrapping his arms around Liam to pull hims closer. "I am assuming Hayden spoke with you?" Theo chuckled a bit after the kiss.

Liam nodded with a grin and then unlocked his car, "Yes she did, and I had to celebrate. We still need to be careful, but I figured we earned that."

Getting in the car Theo raised his eyebrow, "Why do we need to be careful? With Hayden no longer bugging us, we can... be together. Right?"

"Yes and no," Liam's smile faded a bit as he began to drive. It was clear the celebration was over, "My dad is back, and he would not like us together. You're the pool boy, you're also Mr. Talbot's bastard, and..." he trailed off and sighed, clearly not wanting to say the last thing on his mind.

"He doesn't know you like boys?" Theo finished Liam's sentence in more of a question. They had never talked about sexuality before. Theo was openly bisexual and no one had really had a problem with it, no one of any importance that is. However, Liam never addressed his own sexuality, which Theo accepted. Everyone is on their own journey, besides, labels did not matter. All Theo knew, and needed to know, was that Liam liked boys, or at least one boy. However, it has been heavily implied, though never explicitly stated, that Liam's father would not like that.

Without saying anything, Liam just nodded. "And word travels fast, especially in this community. We can't be overly affectionate, not at school, only around people we trust. Lydia, Cora, Corey, Mason, and the others. Its not forever, I promise. I know this isn't what we wanted."

"I want you Liam," Theo replied, taking Liam's freehand that was not on the steering wheel. "I would love to be able to be public with our relationship, but I understand that you need some time. We have places and people to go if we are in a particularly cuddly mood," Theo teased a bit, trying to lighten the mood, "You could finally come to my place, if you wanted."

Liam laughed a bit as they pulled in to his driveway, in the next few days, whenever his dad came home, everything would change, but there was hope. They did not have to deal with Hayden anymore. "I would love too, and I would love to meet your mom outside of work, and your brother too," Liam replied, having met Theo's mom since she now works for Mrs. Dunbar, but their interactions had always been short and formal. "Now, not to become the rich boss, but you should get to work, I need to go tell my mom about Hayden, but at least now I can watch you working without feeling like a cheater."

Theo laughed and nodded, he knew that this was big news, and Liam and his mother needed their space to talk about this, and talk about Liam's father too. "Yeah, and now I can stop feeling like the other woman. Maybe I'll put on a show for you," He teased and winked before leaning in to kiss Liam softly, and getting out of the car to get to work. He and Liam still had obstacles, but they got through one, and Theo believed they could get through them all.


End file.
